Evaluating ovarian cancer risk-reducing salpingectomy acceptance: a survey.

With evidence that salpingectomy is effective in preventing high grade serous carcinoma, it is time to consider offering this procedure to people at higher-than-average lifetime risk for ovarian cancer, despite not having a pathogenic genetic variant that increases risk for ovarian cancer. This targeted approach has potential to be effective at reducing ovarian cancer incidence, and unlike opportunistic salpingectomy is focused on people with an increased lifetime risk of ovarian cancer. However, the acceptability of this approach within the population of potential patients remains unknown. We conducted an online survey of adults in British Columbia, Canada, who were defined as "at risk" for ovarian cancer (i.e., people born with ovaries). Participants completed a questionnaire on demographics, ovarian cancer risk and protective factors, concerns about risk-reducing salpingectomy and the risk they considered high enough to warrant risk-reducing salpingectomy. We included 211 participants. Among these participants, 42% (n = 88) indicated they would consider risk-reducing salpingectomy at any lifetime risk or any risk above the population average. Another 20 participants chose risks between 1.5%- 4% for a cumulative 51% of the sample choosing risks below thresholds for oophorectomy. In contrast, 6% (n=12) indicated they would not consider the procedure at any risk level. None of the factors collected were associated with the likelihood that a person would find risk-reducing salpingectomy acceptable. Overall our participants showed broad interest in risk-reducing salpingectomy as an ovarian cancer prevention strategy. These results suggest there would likely be uptake if RRS was offered.