Endometrial cancer: Molecular markers and management of advanced stage disease.

Endometrial cancer: Molecular markers and management of advanced stage disease. Gynecol Oncol. 2018 May 27;: Authors: Arend RC, Jones BA, Martinez A, Goodfellow P Abstract Endometrial cancer is the most prevalent gynecologic cancer in the United States. Over the last 10 years, death rates from endometrial cancer have been rising about 1.4% per year. Traditionally endometrial cancer treatment has been driven by stage and histology. Recent studies have, however, shown that cancers of the same stage and histology have very distinct molecular and genomic profiles. Translational research is progressing rapidly and endometrial cancer-specific precision medicine is evolving. The first tissue agnostic therapy based on the molecular profile of the tumor was approved by the FDA this year. The approval of immune checkpoint inhibitor, pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1), for all solid tumors with defective DNA mismatch repair, could benefit 20-30% of patients with advanced endometrial cancer. Other genomic changes and molecular markers in endometrial cancer, such as hormone receptor status, could lead to more tailored therapy in the future. Pre-clinical and clinical investigations of targeted therapies suggest efficacy for some agents. Single agent targeted therapies, however, have modest activity. Identifying biomarkers that effectively determine response to targeted therapy remains a challenge. The next generation of clinical trials will focus on nove...
Source: Gynecologic Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Gynecol Oncol Source Type: research