ERT for Survivors of Endometrial Cancer? A New Trial Will Resolve Debate

Extract

A nationwide trial to resolve the controversy over the safety of estrogen replacement therapy for survivors of endometrial cancer will start enrolling patients this summer, researchers announced last week at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Las Vegas.

Prescribing ERT for patients with a history of endometrial cancer is controversial because about 85% of endometrial cancers are estrogen dependent. However, two small studies have suggested that ERT does not increase the risk of recurrence, challenging conventional wisdom and creating the current debate. In women with no history of endometrial cancer, hormone replacement is often prescribed after menopause to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis and to relieve menopausal symptoms.

"The outcome of this trial could help resolve a clinical dilemma facing thousands of endometrial cancer survivors and their physicians," said Robert C. Park, M.D., chair of the Gynecologic Oncology Group, which is organizing the trial. The GOG is one of 11 cooperative clinical trial groups sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.