Ovarian cancer is widely used in reference to cancers that begin in the cells in the ovary, fallopian tube and peritoneum — a tissue that lines the abdomen and most of the abdominal organs.

Although fallopian tube cancer and ovarian cancer share symptoms and treatments, fallopian tube cancer is its own disease, with two very rare forms:

• Leiomyosarcoma – Arises from the smooth muscle of the fallopian tube.
• Transitional cell cancer – Grows within other cells that line the fallopian tubes.

Knowing your risk factors and discussing them with your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and healthcare choices. The following factors may raise a woman’s risk of developing fallopian tube cancer:

• Family history of breast or ovarian cancer – Experts believe that genetic mutations (harmful changes in the gene) in families are passed from generation to generation. This puts women at higher risk for fallopian tube cancer.
• Age – Even though women of all ages have some risk of fallopian tube cancer, women over 50 are more likely to develop malignancies. The average age of women diagnosed with this cancer is 60 to 62 years.
• Obesity – According to recent studies, women who were obese in early adulthood are 50% more likely to develop fallopian tube cancer.
• Reproductive history –Women who have never had children or who have experienced unexplained infertility may be at a higher risk of fallopian tube cancer.
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – Women who have taken estrogen-only HRT after menopause may be at greater risk. This risk increases the longer you use the therapy and decreases over time after the therapy ends.