Cancer risk could be cut by removing fallopian tubes

Operating to remove the fallopian tubes could cut the risk of ovarian cancer.

An operation to have the fallopian tubes removed could reduce women's chances of getting ovarian cancer, one UK-based expert claims.

It is known that women with faulty BRCA genes are at heightened risk of cancer and they sometimes have to have their ovaries removed to reduce the chances of suffering from it.

However, member of the University of Birmingham and the charity Wellbeing of Women professor Sean Kehoe said women may only need to have the tubes removed.

He said: "Recent studies suggest that the fallopian tubes may be the source of up to 50 per cent of so-called ovarian cancers, though research is ongoing."

However, Cancer Research UK said more research is needed to determine how effective this treatment would be.

Roughly 7,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are detected in the UK each year. Additionally, around 4,000 women die of this form of the disease annually.

Other measures women are advised to follow to avoid ovarian cancer include taking the contraceptive pill.