Surgeons say one surgery could prevent “silent killer” of women

Surgeons have called for more awareness of a preventative surgery that could save the lives of thousands of women from a “silent killer” that lacks both clear symptoms and reliable screening tests.

Ovarian cancer kills an estimated 12,700 women annually, with around 20,000 women being diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

More common in older individuals, a woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 91; her lifetime chance of dying from the disease is around 1 in 143.

Now, a group who met at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 are seeking a way to change this statistic by taking preventive measures before the disease takes hold.

Experts at the ACS say that performing a single preventive procedure on a woman already undergoing abdominal surgery could stop her from ever developing ovarian cancer in the future. That procedure? Salpingectomy: removing the fallopian tubes.

Many forms of aggressive and common ovarian cancer are believed to start in the fallopian tubes, which are essential for getting pregnant, but which provide no further use once that stage of life has passed.

Surgeon Dr Joseph Sakran pointed out to Newsweek that millions of women undergo abdominal surgeries such as gallbladder removal and hernia repair every year, but “what most people don’t realize is that these same surgeries represent missed opportunities for cancer prevention.”

He called the data “clear,” and argued: “Removing the fallopian tubes during these procedures could prevent … thousands of ovarian cancer cases annually in the U.S. with minimal additional risk.

“For me, it’s about expanding the conversation beyond gynecology and recognizing that general surgeons have a critical role to play in women’s cancer prevention. Every operation is a chance to do more than fix the immediate problem—it’s an opportunity to potentially save a life down the road.“

Gynecologic oncologist Dr Becky Stone told Newsweek she had “witnessed the devastating impact of ovarian cancer firsthand, a disease that’s often detected too late and remains difficult to treat.”

“What makes opportunistic salpingectomy so revolutionary is that we now have real-world evidence showing we can prevent over 50 percent of these cancers simply by removing the fallopian tubes during surgeries women are already having,” she said.

“The tragedy is that nearly one in four women I treat had a prior abdominal surgery where this simple, risk-reducing step could have been offered, but wasn’t. We have the knowledge and the technique—now we need women to know this option exists.”

She encouraged everyone to visit the website OutsmartOvarianCancer.org, “to learn more about how they can take control of their cancer risk.”

The meeting saw Dr Sakran moderate a session on integrating fallopian tube removal into general surgery practice, urging greater awareness to patients that this was on offer to post-reproductive women undergoing elective abdominal or pelvic surgeries.

Experts estimated that incorporating the procedure could prevent almost 6,000 ovarian cancer deaths every year, while still preserving the ovaries themselves, which produce key hormones throughout a woman’s life.

Ovarian cancer is notoriously difficult to catch early, as symptoms often do not develop until the later stages of the disease.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer include pelvic or abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating; changes in eating habits; vaginal discharge or abnormal bleeding; bowel changes; frequent urination; and an increase in the size of the abdomen, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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