Update in the management of endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract and the fourth most common malignancy in women. Standard treatment for early-stage disease involves surgical staging with adjuvant therapy based on pathologic findings. Controversial issues include the role of laparoscopy and the indications for lymph node sampling. Advanced and recurrent disease can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy based on the individual pattern of spread and prior treatment regimens. This review will begin by discussing the surgical treatment of early-stage endometrial cancer and the role of adjuvant radiation therapy. The role of surgery and chemotherapy in advanced disease will also be covered. Current experimental protocols and areas of future investigation will be discussed briefly throughout. The standard treatment of endometrial cancer has been the subject of many reviews in the literature. This paper will focus on areas of controversy in the management of endometrial cancer as well as new developments in the treatment of this disease. Recent published reports will be used to highlight changes to traditional practices. The reviewwill be limited to epithelial adenocarcinoma of the endometrium.