Endometrial Cancer

Research presented recently at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) annual meeting found that survival rates of African-American women with advanced-stage endometrial cancers are significantly worse than those of Caucasian women.

This clinically oriented text focuses on the diagnosis and management of endometrial adenocarcinoma and endometrial hyperplasia. Due to its clinical orientation, the book does not include information on the molecular basis of endometrial cancer.

Although endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy diagnosed in US women, it has not received the same attention from health care professionals and the lay public as has its more lethal counterpart in the female gonad-epithelial ovarian cancer.

Endometrial carcinoma is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States. Most cases are diagnosed at an early stage. However, the outcome for women diagnosed with advanced-stage disease remains poor. The etiology of most endometrial carcinomas stems from the effects of excess estrogen, whether this comes from exogenous or endogenous sources. Differences in epidemiology and presentation suggest the existence of two forms of endometrial cancer: those related to and those unrelated to hormonal stimulation. Most women with endometrial cancer present with abnormal uterine bleeding; endometrial sampling is essential to exclude endometrial carcinoma in such patients. Endometrial cancer is surgically staged, and staging usually includes a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Lymphadenectomy also should be performed in selective cases to better assess disease spread and to evaluate the need for adjuvant therapy. Adjuvant treatment may include the use of radiation, progestins, or cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. Several clinical trials are underway to compare these treatment modalities, as well as to determine the optimal combination of active chemotherapeutic agents, such as doxorubicin, platinum agents, and paclitaxel (Taxol). [ONCOLOGY 13(12):1665-1675, 1999]

We commend Chen et al for their comprehensive review of the evaluation and treatment of endometrial cancer. As the authors state, endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States. Fortunately, it is also one of the most curable. The majority of women with endometrial cancer are treated by surgery alone; primary radiation therapy is generally reserved for patients with unacceptable risks of surgical morbidity. In this commentary, we will address several areas of current controversy.

Endometrial cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer in women worldwide, with approximately 150,000 cases diagnosed each year, and is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract in the United States. Dr. Chen and colleagues provide an excellent review of current clinical investigations focusing on the evaluation and treatment of this carcinoma.

The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, along with the American Hospital Association, has declared September 1999 the first annual Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. Each year, 82,000 women in the United States (ie, 1 in every 25 women) are

One of the cornerstones of gynecologic cancer surgery is the assessment and removal of the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Numerous reports have demonstrated that, when performed by highly skilled individuals, laparoscopic

Endometrial cancer is the most common type of female genital cancer in the United States, with an estimated 32,000 new cases and 5,600 deaths per year. During the first half of the 20th century, the incidence of cervical cancer was greater than

Success in treating stubborn cancers with a drug that was shelved 50 years ago has encouraged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide a 3-year, $447,534 grant to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at

A total of 18 studies have been published concerning the possible relationship of tamoxifen to endometrial

For nearly 20 years, tamoxifen has been successfully used in the management of breast cancer. Tamoxifen is a mixed estrogen agonist/antagonist that has a proliferative effect on the endometrium. The drug has been

An expert panel of 10 international cancer researchers and practicing oncologists met in Boston to discuss the past, present, and future uses of antiestrogens in the treatment of breast cancer. The first articles in this series, based on the symposium presentations, focused on the optimal duration of tamoxifen use (Oct, 1996, page 17) and on the noncancer benefits of tamoxifen weighed against the potential risk of endometrial cancer (Nov, 1996, page 55). This month, the benign endometrial changes associated with tamoxifen use are reviewed. The symposium was sponsored by Zeneca Pharmaceuticals.

An expert panel of nine international cancer researchers and practicing oncologists met in Boston to discuss the past, present, and future uses of antiestrogens in the treatment of breast cancer. The first article in this series, based on the symposium presentations, focused on the optimal duration of tamoxifen use (October 1996). This month, the panel explores the noncancer benefits of tamoxifen, as well as the potential risk of endometrial cancer. The symposium was sponsored by Zeneca Pharmaceuticals.

In their comprehensive review of changing concepts in the management of endometrial cancer, Drs. Karasek and Faul highlight the contemporary approach to the management of patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma. The authors stress the evolution

The authors present the major issues and controversies surrounding the treatment of endometrial cancer. A variety of therapeutic approaches have been used in the past, including surgery alone, preoperative radiation and surgery, surgery and

Endometrial carcinoma was a clinically staged disease until the late 1980s, at which point, staging changed to a surgicopathologically defined system. This change in staging, in turn, altered the clinical management of this

SEATTLE-A group of breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen (Nolvadex) outside of clinical trials had up to a 60% reduction in their risk of developing cancer in the contralateral breast and no increased risk of ovarian or endometrial cancer, report Linda S. Cook, PhD, and her colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex), a nonsteroidal antiestrogen, was first approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with breast cancer in 1978. Large clinical trials have demonstrated a recurrence-free and overall survival benefit

In his excellent review, Dr. Barakat has made many useful observations about the effects of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) on the endometrium. As the potential number of women on tamoxifen increases, several points merit emphasis and dissemination to all gynecologists who may be asked by medical oncologists to render opinions on such patients.

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) is widely used in the treatment of breast cancer. It is effective in the management of both early stage and advanced disease. The recent comprehensive meta-analysis of systemic treatment in early breast cancer reported that tamoxifen reduced the annual odds of breast cancer recurrence by 25%, and the risk of death by 16%, compared with patients not treated with tamoxifen [1]. The benefits are even more pronounced in postmenopausal patients, with 29% decreases in recurrence and 20% reduction in the risk of death. The risk of contralateral primary breast cancer is also decreased by approximately 28% in women receiving adjuvant tamoxifen [2]. This has prompted its use in prevention trials; the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Prevention trial (NSABP P1) is an ongoing trial randomizing women at high risk for breast cancer to receive tamoxifen or placebo. Tamoxifen's use in otherwise healthy women has brought attention to the few potential toxicities of the drug.