Objective: To investigate the impact of molecular classification and key oncogenes on the oncologic outcomes in patients with endometrial carcinoma (EC) and atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) receiving fertility-preserving treatment. Methods: Patients with EC and AEH undergoing progestin-based fertility-preserving treatment and receiving molecular classification as well as key oncogenes test at Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University from January 2021 to March 2023 were reviewed. Hysteroscopic lesion resection and endometrial biopsy were performed before initiating hormone therapy and every 3 months during the treatment to evaluate the efficacy. The risk factors which had impact on the treatment outcomes in EC and AEH patients were further analyzed. Results: Of the 171 patients analyzed, the median age was 32 years, including 86 patients with EC and 85 patients with AEH. The distribution of molecular classification was as follows: 157 cases (91.8%) were classified as having no specific molecular profile (NSMP); 9 cases (5.3%), mismatch repair deficient (MMR-d); 3 cases (1.8%), POLE-mutated; 2 cases (1.2%), p53 abnormal. No difference was found in the cumulative 40-week complete response (CR) rate between the patients having NSMP or MMR-d (61.6% vs 60.0%; P=0.593), while the patients having MMR-d had increased risk than those having NSMP to have recurrence after CR (50.0% vs 14.4%; P=0.005). Multi-variant analysis showed PTEN gene multi-loci mutation (HR=0.413, 95%CI: 0.259-0.658; P<0.001) and PIK3CA gene mutation (HR=0.499, 95%CI: 0.310-0.804; P=0.004) were associated with a lower cumulative 40-week CR rate, and progestin-insensitivity (HR=3.825, 95%CI: 1.570-9.317; P=0.003) and MMR-d (HR=9.014, 95%CI: 1.734-46.873; P=0.009) were independent risk factors of recurrence in EC and AEH patients. Conclusions: No difference in cumulative 40-week CR rate is found in the patients having NSMP or MMR-d who received progestin-based fertility-preserving treatment, where the use of hysteroscopy during the treatment might be the reason, while those having MMR-d have a higher risk of recurrence after CR. Oncogene mutation of PTEN or PIK3CA gene might be associated with a lower response to progestin treatment. The molecular profiles help predict the fertility-preserving treatment outcomes in EC and AEH patients.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Adult ; Hyperplasia ; Progestins ; Fertility Preservation ; Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology* ; Endometrial Hyperplasia/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Precancerous Conditions ; Fertility ; Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Retrospective Studies

Female ; Humans ; Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal/surgery* ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Endometrial Neoplasms/surgery* ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; Co-Repressor Proteins ; Repressor Proteins/genetics*

Corded and hyalinized endometrioid carcinoma (CHEC) is a morphologic variant of endo-metrioid adenocarcinoma. The tumor exhibits a biphasic appearance with areas of traditional low-grade adenocarcinoma merging directly with areas of diffuse growth composed of epithelioid or spindled tumor cells forming cords, small clusters, or dispersed single cells. It is crucial to distinguish CHEC from its morphological mimics, such as malignant mixed mullerian tumor (MMMT), because CHECs are usually low stage, and are associated with a good post-hysterectomy prognosis in most cases while the latter portends a poor prognosis. The patient reported in this article was a 54-year-old woman who presented with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding for 2 months. The ultrasound image showed a thickened uneven echo endometrium of approximately 12.2 mm and a detectable blood flow signal. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an abnormal endometrial signal, considered endometrial carcinoma (Stage Ⅰ B). On hysterectomy specimen, there was an exophytic mass in the uterine cavity with myometrium infiltrating. Microscopically, most component of the tumor was well to moderately differentiated endometrioid carcinoma. Some oval and spindle stromal cells proliferated on the superficial surface of the tumor with a bundle or sheet like growth pattern. In the endometrial curettage specimen, the proliferation of these stromal cells was more obvious, and some of the surrounding stroma was hyalinized and chondromyxoid, which made the stromal cells form a cord-like arrangement. Immunostains were done and both the endometrioid carcinoma and the proliferating stroma cells showed loss of expression of DNA mismatch repair protein MLH1/PMS2 and wild-type p53 protein. Molecular testing demonstrated that this patient had a microsatellite unstable (MSI) endometrial carcinoma. The patient was followed up for 6 months, and there was no recurrence. We diagnosed this case as CHEC, a variant of endometrioid carcinoma, although this case did not show specific β-catenin nuclear expression that was reported in previous researches. The striking low-grade biphasic appearance without TP53 mutation confirmed by immunohistochemistry and molecular testing supported the diagnosis of CHEC. This special morphology, which is usually distributed in the superficial part of the tumor, may result in differences between curettage and surgical specimens. Recent studies have documented an aggressive clinical course in a significant proportion of cases. More cases are needed to establish the clinical behaviors, pathologic features, and molecular profiles of CHECs. Recognition of the relevant characteristics is the prerequisite for pathologists to make correct diagnoses and acquire comprehensive interpretation.
Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Carcinoma, Endometrioid/surgery* ; Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology* ; Endometrium/metabolism* ; Adenocarcinoma/pathology* ; Stromal Cells/pathology*

Objective: To analyze the clinical efficacy of fertility-preserving therapy in patients with atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and early endometrial carcinoma (EC). Methods: The general condition, pathological type, treatment plan, tumor outcomes and pregnancy outcomes of 110 patients with AEH and EC treated with fertility-preserving therapy in Peking University People's Hospital from December 2005 to September 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier and Log rank tests were used for survival analysis. Results: The response rate of 110 cases of AEH (62 cases) and EC (48 cases) was 94.5% (104/110) after fertility-preserving therapy. There were 93 cases (84.5%) achieved complete response and 11 cases (10.0%) achieved partial response, and the recurrence rate was 29.0% (27/93). The complete response rates of AEH and EC were 90.3% (56/62) and 77.1% (37/48), respectively, without significant difference (P=0.057). The recurrence rates of EC were significantly higher than that of AEH (40.5% vs 21.4%; P=0.022). Forty-one patients with complete response had pregnancy intention, the pregnancy rate was 70.7% (29/41), and the live birth rate was 56.1% (23/41). The live birth rate of AEH was 68.2% (15/22) and that of EC was 42.1% (8/19), the difference was statistically significant (P=0.032). The pathological type was related with the recurrence (P=0.044). Conclusions: Patients with AEH and EC can obtain high complete response rate and pregnancy rate after fertility-preserving therapy. The recurrence rate of EC is higher than that of AEH, while the live birth rate of AEH is higher than that of EC.
Endometrial Hyperplasia/surgery* ; Endometrial Neoplasms/surgery* ; Female ; Fertility ; Fertility Preservation ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies

Carcinoma, Endometrioid/pathology* ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/surgery* ; Carcinoma, Small Cell/surgery* ; Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology* ; Female ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms/surgery* ; Uterus/pathology*

Adult ; Aged ; Algorithms ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; metabolism ; mortality ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal ; metabolism ; mortality ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: Lower extremity lymphedema adversely affects quality of life by causing discomfort, impaired mobility and increased risk of infection. The goal of this study is to investigate factors that influence the likelihood of lymphedema in patients with endometrial cancer who undergo adjuvant radiation with or without chemotherapy. METHODS: A retrospective chart review identified all stage I-III endometrial cancer patients who had a hysterectomy with or without complete staging lymphadenectomy and adjuvant radiation therapy between January 2006 and February 2013. Patients with new-onset lymphedema after treatment were identified. Logistic regression was used to find factors that influenced lymphedema risk. RESULTS: Of 212 patients who met inclusion criteria, 15 patients (7.1%) developed new-onset lymphedema. Lymphedema was associated with lymph-node dissection (odds ratio [OR], 5.6; 95% CI, 1.01 to 105.5; p=0.048) and with the presence of pathologically positive lymph nodes (OR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.4 to 12.3; p=0.01). Multivariate logistic regression confirmed the association with lymph-node positivity (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.0007 to 10.7; p=0.0499) when controlled for lymph-node dissection. Median time to lymphedema onset was 8 months (range, 1 to 58 months) with resolution or improvement in eight patients (53.3%) after a median of 10 months. CONCLUSION: Lymph-node positivity was associated with an increased risk of lymphedema in endometrial cancer patients who received adjuvant radiation. Future studies are needed to explore whether node-positive patients may benefit from early lymphedema-controlling interventions.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Endometrial Neoplasms/*radiotherapy/surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Lymph Node Excision/adverse effects ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lymphedema/*etiology/therapy ; Middle Aged ; Radiation Injuries/*etiology/therapy ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant/adverse effects ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to determine steroid sulfatase (STS) expression in endometrial cancer patients and its correlation with disease prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study in 59 patients who underwent surgery with histologically confirmed endometrial cancer from January 2000 to December 2011 at Hanyang University Hospital. Immuno-histochemical staining of STS was performed using rabbit polyclonal anti-STS antibody. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 59 patients (27.1%) were positive for STS expression. Disease free survival (DFS) was 129.83±8.67 [95% confidence interval (CI): 112.84-146.82] months in the STS positive group (group A) and 111.06±7.17 (95% CI: 97.01-125.10) months in the STS negative group (group B) (p=0.92). Overall survival (OS) was 129.01±9.38 (95% CI: 110.63-147.38) months and 111.16±7.10 (95% CI: 97.24-125.07) months for the groups A and B, respectively (p=0.45). Univariate analysis revealed that FIGO stage and adjuvant therapy are significantly associated with DFS and OS. However, in multivariate analysis, FIGO stage and adjuvant therapy did not show any statistical significance with DFS and OS. STS was also not significantly associated with DFS and OS in univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: STS expression was not significantly associated with DFS and OS, despite positive STS expression in 27% of endometrial cancer patients. Therefore, the role of STS as a prognostic factor in patients with endometrial cancer remains unclear and requires further research.
Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Endometrial Neoplasms/mortality/*surgery ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Steryl-Sulfatase/*metabolism ; Uterine Neoplasms/mortality/pathology/*surgery

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the recurrence rates and patterns of failure in patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma after surgical staging without adjuvant therapy. METHODS: Medical records of 229 patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma, treated with surgery alone between 2002 and 2010 at Siriraj Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The primary objective of this study was recurrence rates. The secondary objectives were patterns of failure, disease-free survival, overall survival, and prognostic factors related to outcomes. RESULTS: During median follow-up time of 53.3 months, 11 recurrences (4.8%) occurred with a median time to recurrence of 21.2 months (range, 7.7 to 77.8 months). Vaginal recurrence was the most common pattern of failure (8/11 patients, 72.7%). Other recurrences were pelvic, abdominal and multiple metastases. Factors that appeared to be prognostic factors on univariate analyses were age and having high intermediate risk (HIR) (Gynecologic Oncology Group [GOG] 99 criteria), none of which showed significance in multivariate analysis. The recurrence rates were higher in the patients with HIR criteria (22.2% vs. 4.1%, p=0.013) or patients with stage IB, grade 2 endometrioid carcinoma (9.4% vs. 4.3%, p=0.199). Five-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival were 93.9% (95% CI, 89.9 to 5.86) and 99.5% (95% CI, 97.0 to 99.9), respectively. CONCLUSION: The patients with low risk stage I endometrial carcinoma had excellent outcomes with surgery alone. Our study showed that no single factor was demonstrated to be an independent predictor for recurrence.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Endometrial Neoplasms/mortality/pathology/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/epidemiology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To compare surgical outcomes and cost of robotic single-site hysterectomy (RSSH) versus robotic multiport hysterectomy (RMPH) in early stage endometrial cancer. METHODS: This is a retrospective case-control study, comparing perioperative outcomes and costs of RSSH and RMPH in early stage endometrial cancer patients. RSSH were matched 1:2 according to age, body mass index, comorbidity, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetric (FIGO) stage, type of radical surgery, histologic type, and grading. Mean hospital cost per discharge was calculated summarizing the cost of daily hospital room charges, operating room, cost of supplies and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: A total of 23 women who underwent RSSH were matched with 46 historic controls treated by RMPH in the same institute, with the same surgical team. No significant differences were found in terms of age, histologic type, stage, and grading. Operative time was similar: 102.5 minutes in RMPH and 110 in RSSH (p=0.889). Blood loss was lower in RSSH than in RMPH (respectively, 50 mL vs. 100 mL, p=0.001). Hospital stay was 3 days in RMPH and 2 days in RSSH (p=0.001). No intraoperative complications occurred in both groups. Early postoperative complications were 2.2% in RMPH and 4.3% in RSSH. Overall cost was higher in RMPH than in RSSH (respectively, $7,772.15 vs. $5,181.06). CONCLUSION: Our retrospective study suggests the safety and feasibility of RSSH for staging early endometrial cancer without major differences from the RMPH in terms of surgical outcomes, but with lower hospital costs. Certainly, further studies are eagerly warranted to confirm our findings.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Case-Control Studies ; Endometrial Neoplasms/economics/*surgery ; Female ; Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Hysterectomy/adverse effects/*methods ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/adverse effects/economics/*methods