Treatment options for advanced endometrial carcinoma

Objective. Endometrial carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the female reproductive tract. Most cases are diagnosed at an early stage due to the appearance of symptoms such as postmenopausal bleeding. However, endometrial carcinoma carries a poor prognosis when it recurs after previous definitive treatment or when diagnosed at an advanced stage. Here, treatment options for advanced endometrial carcinoma are evaluated. Methods. Literature review was performed to determine current therapy options, with a focus on the treatment landscape for women with recurrent, advanced, or metastatic disease. Results. Combination chemotherapy is being used more frequently as first-line treatment of advanced disease, consisting of cisplatin/doxorubicin/paclitaxel, if tolerated, or the doublet of carboplatin/paclitaxel. Options following disease progression after first-line treatment are extremely limited, particularly with the increasing use of active agents in the adjuvant setting. Fortunately, several new cytotoxic and biologic therapies appear promising for women who have progressed on first-line treatment. Conclusions. Clinical trials are planned to further explore how to best incorporate novel agents into the current treatment algorithm with the aim to improve the options in both first- and second-line treatments for women with endometrial adenocarcinomas. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.