[Treatment strategies for endometrial cancer]

This paper focuses on the controversies surrounding management of endometrial cancer, the most common carcinoma of the female genital tract. We discuss current management strategies, especially the importance of surgical staging and briefly describe ongoing prospective randomized trials. Actual treatment suggestions are attached as tables. Adenocarcinomas represent the majority of endometrial cancers. In contrast, papillary-serous and clear cell carcinomas comprise 1-10 % of endometrial cancers. While adenocarcinomas may well be treated by surgery and radiation therapy, identifying appropriate treatment modalities for patients with papillary-serous and clear cell carcinoma and poor prognosis is of critical importance. Data on radiation therapy or chemotherapy, to date, are of limited value secondary to small sample sizes and the heterogeneous treatment modalities that many times were applied. Individualized treatment strategies have to take into account accompanying co-morbidities, more importantly, though, whether the patient underwent surgical staging. Co-operative, prospective randomized trials across borders are needed more than ever to answer remaining questions.