Supplemental radiation therapy beneficial for stage I endometrial cancerJanuary 25, 2006Women with stage I endometrial cancer (with grade 1 and grades 3 and 4 disease) who receive radiation therapy in addition to other treatment have improved survival rates, according to a study in the January 25 issue of JAMA. Endometrial cancer remains the most common gynecological malignancy in the United States, according to background information in the article. However, the optimal supplemental treatment for stage I endometrial cancer remains uncertain. Christopher M. Lee, M.D., of Huntsman Cancer Hospital and University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City and colleagues conducted a study to quantitatively evaluate the frequency and effect of adjuvant (supplemental) radiation therapy (RT) on overall and relative survival for women with stage I endometrial cancer. The study included 21,249 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage IA-C node-negative endometrial cancer. The researchers used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, from January 1, 1988, to December 31, 2001. Of the 21,249 women, 4,080 received adjuvant RT (19.2 percent) and 17,169 did not receive adjuvant RT (80.8 percent). Adjuvant RT significantly improved overall survival for patients with stage IC/grade 1 and stage IC/grades 3 and 4 disease. Further analysis revealed a statistically detectable association of adjuvant RT with improved relative survival in patients with stage IC/grade 1 (56 percent lower rate of death) and stage IC/grades 3 and 4 (28 percent lower rate of death). "As the largest reported population analysis to our knowledge of adjuvant RT in early stage endometrial adenocarcinoma to date, it is significant that our study reveals a benefit for improved overall and relative survival for adjuvant RT in stage IC/grade 1 and stage IC/grades 3 and 4 disease. This information should be added to previous articles in the literature that confirm beneficial effects of adjuvant RT on both local and distant tumor control for certain patient cohorts," the authors write. "Statistical analysis cannot replace clinical judgment when considering the individual patient, tumor characteristics, and the potential risks and benefits of adjuvant RT. Hopefully, appropriate adjuvant RT will be used to decrease the death rate from this most common of gynecological malignancies. Future work is needed to continue to delineate clinical and biological factors that can guide treatment and account for disparities in outcome between varied subsets of patients," the researchers conclude. JAMA and Archives Journals |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Endometrial Cancer Current Events and Endometrial Cancer News Articles Molecular imaging holds promise for early intervention in common uterine cancer A promising new molecular imaging technique may provide physicians and patients with a noninvasive way to learn more information about a type of cancer of the uterus lining called "endometrial carcinoma"-one of the most common malignant female tumors. Excess body weight causes over 124,000 new cancers a year in Europe At least 124,000 new cancers in 2008 in Europe may have been caused by excess body weight, according to estimates from a new modelling study. Medications Effective in Reducing Risks for Breast Cancer Can Also Cause Serious Side Effects Three drugs that reduce a woman's chance of getting breast cancer also have been shown to cause adverse effects, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Researchers find how a common genetic mutation makes cancer radiation resistant Many cancerous tumors possess a genetic mutation that disables a tumor suppressor called PTEN. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown why inactivation of PTEN allows tumors to resist radiation therapy. Study finds genetic links to age of first menstrual period and menopause Newly identified gene variants associated with the age at which females experience their first menstrual period and the onset of menopause may help shed light on the prevention of breast and endometrial cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. Women's Cancer Outcome Improved by Surgical Evaluation Many women scheduled to undergo hysterectomy for pre-cancerous cell changes actually need a more comprehensive surgery, something they should discuss with a gynecologic oncologist, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Study Shows Younger Women With Endometrial Cancer Can Safely Keep Ovaries, Avoid Early Menopause In the largest study to date on the safety of ovarian preservation in women aged 45 and younger who were surgically treated for early-stage endometrial cancer, researchers have found that there is no survival benefit associated with surgical removal of the ovaries, compared to women whose ovaries were left intact. New research shows no link between aromatase inhibitors and cardiovascular problems New evidence has emerged that, contrary to some current fears, aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are not associated with an increased risk of heart problems in women who take them to prevent their breast cancer recurring. Cancer risk slightly higher for women in discontinued hormone treatment trial A follow up study of participants in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher has found that women who were taking the combined hormone therapy of estrogen plus progestin may have an increased risk of cancer since the intervention was stopped, compared to participants in the trial's placebo group. Effects of progesterone on Alzheimer's disease The first study on progesterone and Alzheimer's disease has found no clear preventive benefit for the widely prescribed hormone in an animal model. More Endometrial Cancer Current Events and Endometrial Cancer News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||