Role of Hormonal Therapy in Advanced Stage Endometrial Cancer

Abstract

Systemic treatment of advanced disease may be cytotoxic chemotherapy or endocrine therapy. Platinum compounds, taxanes, or anthracyclines are mostly used as single agents or in combination. In patients who have not yet had chemotherapy the response rate is seen up to 20%. The treatment should take account of obesity, irradiation, age, and general condition of the women. Were the objective is palliation or prolongation of survival rather than cure, endocrine therapy is a treatment option, with less toxicity than aggressive chemotherapy. Hormonal therapy is generally better tolerated. These patients typically have some risk factors as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. In postmenopausal women, the principal source of ER is through conversion of androstenedione by aromatase in peripheral adipose tissue. In addition, aromatase is high in endometrial cancer stroma, and locally produced ER may act in a paracrine way to stimulate cancer growth [1, 2].