title: Endometrial cancer: molecular and therapeutic aspects.
abstract: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most commonly diagnosed gynecologic malignancy. Although early-stage EC is effectively treated surgically, commonly without adjuvant therapy, the treatment of high-risk and advanced disease is more complex. Chemotherapy has evolved into an important modality in high-risk early-stage and advanced-stage disease, and in recurrent EC. Multi-institutional trials are in progress to better define optimal adjuvant treatment for subsets of patients, as well as the role of surgical staging in reducing both overuse and underuse of radiation therapy. Understanding and identifying the molecular biology and genetics of EC are central to the development of novel therapies. A number of molecular and genetic events have been observed in ECs, which have enabled us to have a better understanding of the biology and development of the disease. For example, the PTEN/AKT pathway and its downstream targets and the mTOR pathway have been shown to play an important role in EC pathogenesis. This review summarizes the background of the known molecular alterations, and the management of patients with EC.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece. ptsikour@med.duth.gr
authors: Panagiotis
authors: P
authors: Tsikouras
authors: Sofia
authors: S
authors: Bouchlariotou
authors: Nikolaos
authors: N
authors: Vrachnis
authors: Alexandros
authors: A
authors: Dafopoulos
authors: Georgios
authors: G
authors: Galazios
authors: Roland
authors: R
authors: Csorba
authors: Georg Friedrich
authors: GF
authors: von Tempelhoff
mesh_terms: D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000235:genetics; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D011182:Postoperative Care; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C484760:PIK3CA protein, human; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human; C494929:PTEN protein, human