Study identifies key risk factors for recurrence in early endometrial cancer after hormonal therapy

Even if early endometrial cancer is cured with hormone therapy without removing the uterus, patients aged 35 and older or those who have not been pregnant are at high risk of recurrence, according to a new study.

Konkuk University Medical Center said Tuesday that a research team led by Professor Shim Seung-hyuk and Fellow Jang Eun-bi of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has published the study, “Risk factors for the recurrence in patients with early endometrioid endometrial cancer achieving complete remission for fertility-sparing hormonal treatment,” in the U.S. Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO)'s journal “Gynecologic Oncology.”

The complete remission rate for endometrial cancer treated with fertility-sparing hormone therapy is about 70 percent. Two-thirds of these patients relapse, but there is little research on factors that can predict this, according to the team.

The researchers analyzed risk factors for recurrence in 142 patients with early-stage endometrial cancer (differentiation 1, stage 1A) treated with hormone therapy without removal of the uterus and were declared cured. The results showed that 85 of the 142 patients (60 percent) with early-stage endometrial cancer recurred at 14 months (median). In multivariate analysis, age at diagnosis of 35 years or older and not becoming pregnant after complete remission were significant predictors of recurrence.

“Fertility-preserving hormonal therapy has been widely used in clinical practice in recent years due to the increasing incidence of endometrial cancer in women of childbearing age,” Professor Shim said. “Our findings may help us to develop closer and more effective follow-up strategies for patients with risk factors for recurrence after fertility-preserving therapy.”