Preventative Surgery Slashes Ovarian Cancer Risk, Vancouver Island Doctors Advocate for Wider Adoption
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A new study demonstrating an almost 80% reduction in ovarian cancer risk is prompting a Nanaimo gynecologist to champion the broader implementation of a preventative procedure across Vancouver Island’s surgical departments.
New research published in JAMA Network on February 2, 2026, from the University of British Columbia, reveals that opportunistic salpingectomy – the proactive removal of the fallopian tubes – significantly lowers the risk of the most aggressive and common form of ovarian cancer.
“What’s very exciting with the publication of this study is it’s now demonstrated – following more than 85,000 women in British Columbia – nearly an 80 percent reduction in ovarian cancer when we remove their fallopian tubes,” explained a leading obstetrician and gynecologist in Nanaimo, Dr. Evelyn Eng.
While the procedure has been utilized by gynecologists since 2010, pioneered by Dr. Diane Miller in British Columbia, the latest data underscores its remarkable efficacy. This has fueled Dr. Eng’s push for increased adoption throughout the Island’s healthcare system.
“as a gynecologist since 2010, I’ve been offering this to patients undergoing pelvic surgery for other reasons,” Dr. Eng stated.”We’ve been offering,’Would you like us to remove your fallopian tubes at the same time because we beleive this will help prevent ovarian cancer?’ We know ovarian cancer often originates in the fallopian tubes.”
The study’s findings are especially compelling because they validate years of theoretical practice. “After years of theoretically doing this, now the data is showing, ‘Yes, it has been making a difference’ – an 80 percent reduction in ovarian cancer, with no change in how the ovaries function and provide hormones,” Dr. Eng emphasized.
The Burden of ovarian Cancer in Canada
Ovarian cancer remains a meaningful health challenge in Canada, with approximately 3,000 new diagnoses and 2,000 deaths reported annually, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. The disease is notoriously arduous to detect early, often presenting with vague symptoms.
Empowering Patients Through Informed Discussion
Dr. Eng emphasizes the importance of open communication between patients and their healthcare providers. She outlines the potential risks and benefits of the procedure, clarifying the function of the fallopian tubes and the risk of ovarian cancer.
The procedure itself is minimally invasive, adding only three to five minutes to the surgical time without increasing complications or prolonging recovery. Crucially, Dr. Eng explained,the fallopian tubes serve no purpose beyond reproduction.
“Fallopian tubes exist for fertility so that the sperm and egg can meet and go through the fallopian tubes,” she clarified. “The ovaries continue to make all the hormones that a person needs for the rest of their life. The uterus remains intact. Those fallopian tubes, really, we see no purpose that they serve other than for fertility.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Eng hopes to expand the program to more rural communities across Vancouver Island. “Let’s offer this to women. It’s something that they could choose to do in a way that has no impact on their hormones, no impact on menopause. It’s for those who are done with fertility, who don’t want to ever get pregnant.”
Untill then, she encourages patients to proactively discuss the procedure with their doctors. “If they’re done with fertility,it should become the new standard,” she stated.”If there’s a surgery happening in their belly, they could ask, ‘Are you in the same space as where my fallopian tubes are? I’m done thinking about being pregnant again and I would like to consider having my fallopian tubes removed simultaneously occurring.'”
For more details, visit Opportunistic Salpingectomy | SSC.
