Uterine sparing management in patients with endometrial cancer: a narrative literature review

Abstract

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract. Approximately 25% of cases occur in premenopausal women, and up to 5% of cases occur in women who are younger than 40 years old. The survival rate in these cases is 99%; therefore, uterine-sparing management could be considered under strict criteria selection and the strong desire of the woman to preserve uterus and fertility. Diagnosis should be performed after a hysteroscopic biopsy instead of dilatation and curettage. The highest remission rate was achieved after combining a hysteroscopic resection with hormonal therapy compared to single hormonal treatment. The most common regiments are the following progestins: megestrol acetate (MA) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) taken orally with a daily dosage of 160 mg–320 mg for MA and 250 mg–600 mg for MP. Evaluations at three and six months could be performed by office endometrial biopsy and/or hysteroscopic directed biopsy especially in the presence of levonorgestrel intrauterine system, and in cases of remission, either a pregnancy attempt or maintenance therapy should be considered. After childbearing, hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo–oophorectomy is recommended, whereas ovarian preservation could be considered depending on the patient’s age and whether they fulfil the strict criteria selection.

Keywords:

• Endometrial cancer
• uterine sparing
• fertility sparing
• conservative treatment
• progestin therapy

Ethical approval

The nature of the study does not require registration or ethics committee approval.

Disclosure statement

All authors declare no conflict of interest.