Fallopian tube carcinoma--a review.

Although a common site of metastases, primary fallopian tube carcinoma comprises only 0.3% of all gynaecological malignancies. Presenting symptoms are variable and non-specific, with preoperative diagnosis rarely entertained. The FIGO system assigns nearly two-thirds of patients to stage I or II and is based on surgical staging criteria similar to those for ovarian cancer. Likewise, management is based on that for ovarian cancer-radical debulking followed by platinum-based combination chemotherapy. Five-year survival for patients with disease confined to the tube at diagnosis (stage I) is only about 60% and only 10% of patients with advanced disease will be cured.