Recent and current Phase II clinical trials in endometrial cancer: review of the state of art

Introduction: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecological cancer in the developed world. For women with advanced or high-risk disease, survival has remained unchanged over the last 20 years highlighting the need for better therapies. Phase II trials are critical to ascertain an estimate of benefit and determine which new agents undergo further development. Areas covered: Based on a literature search of MEDLINE and ASCO over the last 5 years, the authors present Phase II clinical trial data in the context of EC management. They highlight ongoing clinical trials from the National Cancer Institute website and suggest future directions to address ongoing questions. Expert opinion: A better understanding of EC biology and high-quality preclinical studies will inform the future design of EC Phase II studies. Inclusion of correlative studies and continued longitudinal profiling in future trials is essential to elucidate mechanisms of drug resistance and response. Targeting the phosphoinisotol-3-kinase, angiogenesis, DNA repair and metabolic pathways appear promising strategies for subsets of patients with recurrent or advanced disease. Further, investigation of maintenance strategies and radio-sensitizing agents in the frontline setting should be explored. Given the patient demographic, and frequency of co-morbidities, tolerability and quality of life are key be considerations when designing future studies.