If you’ve been diagnosed with fallopian tube cancer, you deserve experienced care and access to the most advanced treatments available. Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center is at the forefront of gynecologic cancer research. We treat a high volume of people with fallopian tube cancer, offering leading-edge treatments, including immunotherapy. As an academic medical center, we have clinical trials for fallopian tube cancer, as well as on-site lab capabilities to analyze your cancer and guide precision care at every phase of your treatment.
Why choose Penn Medicine for fallopian tube cancer care
What is Fallopian Tube Cancer?
Fallopian tube cancer forms in the tissue that covers the fallopian tubes, a pair of long, thin tubes on either side of the uterus (womb). Eggs formed in the ovaries pass through the fallopian tubes to the uterus during ovulation.
Cancers that form in the fallopian tubes can spread to the ovary. This is how some ovarian cancers form.
Types of Fallopian Tube Cancer
Fallopian tube cancers are most often epithelial or surface carcinomas, which means that they form on the tissue that lines or covers the fallopian tubes.
There are several different types of fallopian tube cancers, including:
- Papillary serous adenocarcinomas: More than 95 percent of fallopian tube cancers are papillary serous adenocarcinomas. This type of cancer grows from the cells lining the fallopian tubes. When the cells begin to divide abnormally and invade other organs or spread to other parts of the body, tumors may form.
- Primary fallopian tube cancer: Primary fallopian tube cancer is extremely rare, representing about 1 percent of all gynecologic cancers.
- Sarcomas (leiomyosarcomas): Occasionally, tumors called sarcomas (leiomyosarcomas) may form from smooth muscle in the fallopian tubes. Tumors can also form on other cells that line the fallopian tubes and are called transitional cell carcinomas.