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New treatments for endometrial cancer
Summary
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological malignancy. It typically affects postmenopausal women however a significant increased risk occurs in women over 40 years old. Current treatment options for advanced disease are inadequate. We have identified proteins that may be important in disease progression and are determining the effect of targeting these proteins with specific inhibitors as novel treatments.
Description
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological malignancy, having an incidence in western countries of 15-20 per 100,000 women per year. It is typically a disease affecting postmenopausal women with approximately 85% of patients being over the age of 50, however a significant increased risk occurs in women from age 40. A key point however is that the incidence and mortality of endometrial cancer is significantly higher than cervical cancer.
Endometrial cancer is the cancer of the uterus that begins in the epithelial glandular lining of the uterus (endometrium) and accounts for about 90% of uterine cancers (adenocarcinoma, type 1).
The main risk factors for endometrial cancer include age at menarche, age at menopause, history of infertility, obesity, diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and prior pelvic radiation therapy.
People with a family history of the disease, and people in families with some types of inherited colon cancer or breast cancer may have an increased risk.
Unfortunately, there is no screening test for the detection of endometrial cancer.
The primary treatment is total abdominal hysterectomy with and without pelvic lymph node dissection and follow-up radiotherapy.
In later metastatic stages, progestational agents have been used as have such drugs as cisplatin and paclitaxel. The results of treatment of advanced or metastatic endometrial cancer are very disappointing. Since the majority of relapses develop in distant sites, the pharmacological treatment plays a major role for the management of recurrent disease.
It is critical to develop novel pharmacological therapies particularly for women with recurrent disease.
We have identified factors that may be critical for disease development and in collaboration with industry and non-industry partners we will investigate the use of novel pharmacological treatments in endometrial cancer development using both in vitro and in vivo models.
We will also investigate early screening of disease. We will utilise state of the art proteomic and molecular biology techniques to investigate the mechanisms of action of key molecules associated with endometrial cancer.
Funding
National Health and Medical Research Council