Fertility-Sparing Approaches in Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia and Endometrial Cancer Patients: Current Evidence and Future Directions

Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Feb 25;23(5):2531. doi: 10.3390/ijms23052531.

Abstract

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the fourth most common cancer in women in developed countries. Although it is usually diagnosed in postmenopausal women, its incidence has increased in young women, as well in recent decades, with an estimated rate of 4% in those under 40 years of age. Factors involved in this increase, particularly in resource-rich countries, include delayed childbearing and the rise in obesity. The new molecular classification of EC should help to personalize treatment, through appropriate candidate selection. With the currently available evidence, the use of oral progestin either alone or in combination with other drugs such as metformin, levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine devices and hysteroscopic resection, seems to be feasible and safe in women with early-stage EC limited to the endometrium. However, there is a lack of high-quality evidence of the efficacy and safety of conservative management in EC. Randomized clinical trials in younger women and obese patients are currently underway.

Keywords: endometrial hyperplasia; endometrial neoplasms; fertility preservation; meta-analysis; organ sparing treatments; progestins; randomized clinical trials.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Endometrial Hyperplasia* / drug therapy
  • Endometrial Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Endometrial Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Endometrial Neoplasms* / surgery
  • Female
  • Fertility Preservation*
  • Humans
  • Levonorgestrel / therapeutic use
  • Progestins / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Progestins
  • Levonorgestrel