Grant: Doctoral Research Award : Priority Announcement - Primary Prevention of Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer amongst women. In Canada, approximately 3100 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and approximately 2000 will die due to the disease. It is estimated that 55% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will not live beyond five years from the date of diagnosis. Ovarian cancer consists of several diseases which include low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC), high grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), endometrioid, mucinous and clear cell carcinoma. The most lethal ovarian cancer is HGSC and is prevalent amongst women with mutations in a gene called BRCA. There is significant evidence which shows the primary site of origin of ovarian cancer is the fallopian tube (FT) rather than the ovaries. Current primary prevention methods include the removal of the ovaries and fallopian tube in patients with a mutation in BRCA, however this surgical method is associated with side effects including osteoporosis and heart disease, and therefore is not a recommended method of prevention for the general population. To lessen these effects on the patient, an alternative primary prevention method was proposed in 2008 by researchers in British Columbia called opportunistic salpingectomy (OS),which is the removal of the fallopian tubes during hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) while leaving the ovaries in-tact. This procedure has been adopted by several institutions in Canada and the United States with favourable results, safety and minimal impact to hormone levels. In this research proposal, we will perform epidemiological and molecular studies to determine how effective OS is in reducing ovarian cancer and the qualitatively differences of tumours that arise after the procedure. This research is important because it supports and alternative primary prevention method to patients, with lessened side effects compared to current preventative methods.