Fallopian tube cancer treatments at Penn Medicine
At Penn Medicine, we take a precision medicine approach to determine the best treatment plan for you. We look at your unique medical history and the genetic makeup of your cancer to inform your treatment plan. Our comprehensive cancer treatment includes advanced treatment options and clinical trials that are available only at Penn.
Our gynecologic oncologists will communicate regularly with other Penn specialists and members of your care team to provide comprehensive, integrated care. Our oncofertility program is experienced in creating fertility-sparing treatment plans when current or future pregnancy is a consideration.
Treatment for fallopian tube cancer depends on:
- The type of cancer, including genetic testing of tumors
- The stage and grade of the cancer
- Whether extra fluid in the abdomen causes swelling
- Whether all of the tumor can be removed by surgery
- Whether there are changes in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes
- Whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred
- Your age and general health
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be given before or after surgery, or on its own as a treatment for fallopian tube cancer.
The chemotherapy type and delivery method depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated:
- Combination therapy is treatment with more than one anticancer drug.
- Neoadjuvant therapy is given before surgery to shrink a tumor in order to more easily remove it.
- Systemic chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle. It then enters the bloodstream to reach cancer cells throughout the body.
- Regional chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity (such as the abdomen), to treat cancer in those areas.
- Intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy is delivered directly into the peritoneal cavity (the space that contains the abdominal organs) through a thin tube.
Radiation
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Although not a common treatment for fallopian tube cancer, radiation is sometimes included in a treatment plan.
Penn Radiation Oncology uses the most advanced equipment and technology available to treat fallopian tube cancer. We are recognized leaders in techniques that target radiation precisely to the treatment area while sparing normal tissue.
At Penn Medicine, you’ll have access to new and advanced treatment options and ongoing clinical trials in radiation therapy, some of which are available only at Penn Medicine.
Brachytherapy involves placing radioactive implants, such as metal pellets, seeds, ribbons, wires, needles, capsules or tubes in small sealed holders inside your body. The implants may be in place for only a short time, or may remain in your body permanently. This allows us to treat you with a high dose of radiation to a smaller area than is possible with external radiation. This limits radiation exposure to your healthy surrounding tissues.
Conformal radiation therapy gives us more control when treating tumors. In conformal radiation, a special computer uses CT imaging scans to create 3-D maps of the location of your cancer. The system permits the delivery of radiation from several directions, and the beams can then be shaped, or conformed, to match the shape of the cancer. Conformal radiation therapy limits radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissue, as well as the tissue in the beam’s path.
In IGRT, the linear accelerators (machines that deliver radiation) are equipped with imaging technology that takes pictures of your tumor immediately before or during the time radiation is delivered. Specialized computer software compares these images of your tumor to the images taken during the simulation to establish your individualized treatment plan. Necessary adjustments can then be made to your position and/or the radiation beams to more precisely target radiation at the cancer and to avoid exposure to your healthy surrounding tissue.
Our radiation oncologists use intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to treat fallopian tube cancer. This advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy uses computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to tumors or specific areas within the tumors. Radiation therapy, including IMRT, stops cancer cells from dividing and growing, thus slowing or stopping tumor growth. In many cases, radiation therapy is capable of killing all of the cancer cells. Using 3-D computed tomography (CT) images and computerized dose calculations, IMRT allows for the radiation dose to conform more precisely to the three-dimensional shape of your tumor. This is done by controlling the intensity of the radiation beam in multiple small volumes. The therapy allows higher radiation doses to be focused on regions within your tumor while minimizing the dose to surrounding normal critical structures.
PET scans create computerized images of chemical changes, such as metabolism, that take place in the tissue. This helps locate a tumor, because cancer cells have a higher metabolism rate than other tissues in your body.
Through the combined matching of a CT scan with PET images, there is an improved capacity to determine whether tissues are abnormal. Radiation oncologists also use the PET images to check the effectiveness of radiation treatments on cancer cells.
Surgery
Penn Medicine’s minimally invasive techniques, such as robotic-assisted surgery, have become the standard of care for treating gynecologic cancers. Our experienced surgical team cares for a high volume of fallopian tube cancer patients each year, offering a level of expertise and a variety of treatment approaches that may not be available at cancer centers that treat fewer patients.
Surgery for fallopian tube cancer can be performed at multiple phases of treatment. A minimally invasive surgery called a laparoscopy may be performed first to help determine if your entire tumor can be removed. If so, a more intensive surgery called a laparotomy may be performed to remove as much of the tumor as possible. This procedure is called debulking surgery.
Treating fallopian tube cancer may also include the following surgeries:
- Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy: A surgical procedure to remove one ovary and one fallopian tube.
- Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy: A surgical procedure to remove both ovaries and both fallopian tubes.
- Omentectomy: A surgical procedure to remove the omentum (fatty tissue in the peritoneum).
- Hysterectomy: A surgical procedure to remove the uterus and occasionally the cervix. When only the uterus is removed, it is called a partial or supracervical hysterectomy. When both the uterus and cervix are removed, it is called a total hysterectomy.
- Lymph node biopsy: The removal of all or part of a lymph node. A pathologist then views the lymph node tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
Fallopian tube cancer clinical trials
We are proud to offer groundbreaking clinical trials that serve patients from all over the world. The goal of our cancer clinical trials, conducted by Penn Medicine researchers and the Perelman School of Medicine, is to provide new fallopian cancer treatment options that may be used alone or with standard treatments.
We strongly encourage you to talk to a Penn Medicine physician to see if fallopian tube cancer clinical trials are available and if you might qualify for one of these cutting-edge treatments.
Clinical trials have produced:
- Precision cancer diagnoses
- Advanced surgical and radiation techniques
- Successful medications
- Improved treatment outcomes
- Strategies to enhance quality of life and address late effects of cancer
Since ovarian cancer is believed to often originate in the fallopian tube, clinical trials for ovarian cancer will frequently include participants who have fallopian tube cancer. You can view clinical trials that are currently available on our clinical trials website. When searching, please select “adults” under Therapeutic Area and “ovarian cancer” under Diagnosis.
Fallopian tube cancer support services
Oncology navigators are focused on patients and committed to making sure that you receive the best possible care. They are experts in navigating complex health care situations and serve as a consistent point of contact and a reliable source for advice, support and direction for you and your family.
While conventional medicine plays a critical role in cancer treatment, integrative medicine and wellness programs can help you enhance your quality of life, minimize or reduce the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment, and promote healing and recovery. Our integrative oncology services for fallopian tube cancer can supplement traditional cancer treatments.
Our cancer specialists are knowledgeable and supportive of complementary cancer treatments. We can work with you and your family to integrate supportive programs into your overall care plan while ensuring your health and safety. Services include:
- Acupuncture
- Nutritional Counseling and services
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy
- Reiki therapy
- Yoga
- Exercise and rehabilitation
Joan Karnell Supportive Services at Pennsylvania Hospital offers an extensive variety of cancer support programs for patients and families, from diagnosis through survivorship. These programs are available at no cost to the patients treated at Pennsylvania Hospital, and some are open to patients treated elsewhere. These services include social-work counseling, nutrition counseling, psychological counseling and spiritual counseling.
The Cancer Appetite and Rehabilitation Clinic focuses on patients with loss of appetite and weight.
Palliative care provides physical, emotional and spiritual care that can enhance your quality of life. It can be used to complement traditional cancer therapies or when curative therapies are no longer an option. Services include palliative chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, as well as psychological counseling, art therapy and support groups for patients and families.
Penn Medicine offers a full range of at-home health care services, including specialized therapies and medications, for patients with cancer and cancer-related conditions.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.