Patient and Surgeon Attitudes Toward Opportunistic Salpingectomy During Nongynecological Surgeries for the Prevention of Ovarian Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Background and objectives: Opportunity salpingectomy (OS), or prophylactic removal of the fallopian tubes during an operation for another indication, is broadly accepted as a risk-reduction strategy for ovarian cancer during gynecological operations. However, OS during nongynecological abdominal surgery is rare in the United States. A better understanding of surgeon and patient attitudes and perceived barriers to OS during nongynecological surgeries may facilitate implementation in the United States.

Study design: Qualitative interviews were conducted with general surgeons (n = 10), gynecologic surgeons (n = 10), and patients (n = 20) to assess perspectives and barriers towards OS during nongynecological surgeries. Interviews were transcribed and inductive analysis was carried out to identify themes and categorize responses using NVivo data analysis software.

Results: OS during nongynecological surgery was viewed favorably by most patients and surgeons interviewed. While patients emphasized the importance of raising awareness of OS, both subsets of surgeons highlighted coordination, counseling, and billing barriers that would need to be overcome for efficient implementation.

Conclusion: OS was positively accepted by both patients and surgeons in our cohort. Improved attention to the shared barriers to implementation from our study may facilitate OS implementation during nongynecological surgery in the United States.