Increasing Awareness of Uterine Cancer Risks and Symptoms by Using Campaign Materials from Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer

Public awareness and provider counseling regarding postmenopausal bleeding as a symptom of endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVES

Our study aims to understand public knowledge of postmenopausal bleeding as an endometrial cancer symptom and how past provider counseling on postmenopausal bleeding affects knowledge and care-seeking behaviors related to postmenopausal bleeding.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey study of people assigned female at birth. Study participants were recruited at a university research facility located at the Minnesota State Fair in September 2021. Participants answered questions about demographics, endometrial cancer knowledge, whether they had received counseling about postmenopausal bleeding, and whether and when they would present for care after experiencing postmenopausal bleeding.

RESULTS

Six hundred forty-eight surveys were completed and included in analyses. Sixty-three percent of participants identified postmenopausal bleeding as a symptom of endometrial cancer. Those who correctly selected this symptom were more likely to be born in the United States, have a college education or higher, and have private insurance. Of the 145 postmenopausal participants, 46.5% reported that their provider counseled them on postmenopausal bleeding. Fifty-nine percent of the postmenopausal participants reported that they would tell their provider if they had postmenopausal bleeding after only one episode.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for increased recognition of postmenopausal bleeding and provider counseling on postmenopausal bleeding, and educational interventions should focus on public and provider awareness of endometrial cancer risks and symptoms.

The Womb Cancer Awareness Measure (WCAM): development of an instrument to assess public awareness of endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE

To develop and test a novel instrument to assess public awareness of endometrial cancer symptoms and risk factors in a UK population.

METHODS

A 36-item questionnaire was developed through literature review and extraction from cancer awareness materials. The Womb Cancer Awareness Measure (WCAM) was tested for content validity in 65 self-identified female research participants and 10 endometrial cancer experts prior to UK-wide field testing using social media. Test-retest reliability was assessed over 2 weeks, construct validity was assessed by comparing womb cancer experts and non-medical academics, and sensitivity to change was assessed by comparing scores of participants who read an endometrial cancer leaflet with those given a control leaflet.

RESULTS

Fifty-two percent of the items in the test-retest reliability showed >80% agreement. Construct validity was demonstrated; endometrial cancer experts achieved higher scores (median 79 (IQR 18)) than non-medical academics (median 50 (IQR 18)) (p<0.001). The WCAM was sensitive to change; volunteers who read an endometrial cancer leaflet showed greater awareness (median 73 (IQR 9)) than those who read the control leaflet (median 59 (IQR 9)) (p<0.001). Knowledge of endometrial cancer red flag symptoms and risk factors was poor in the 847 UK-based participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the validity and reliability of the Womb Cancer Awareness Measure in assessing public awareness of endometrial cancer. In a UK population sample, knowledge of warning symptoms and risk factors was low, highlighting the need for public awareness campaigns.

Disparities in Timeliness of Endometrial Cancer Care: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

We use the person-centered Pathway to Treatment framework to assess the scope of evidence on disparities in endometrial cancer stage at diagnosis. This report is intended to facilitate interventions, research, and advocacy that reduce disparities.

DATA SOURCES

We completed a structured search of electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. Included studies were published between January 2000 and 2023 and addressed marginalized population(s) in the United States with the ability to develop endometrial cancer and addressed variable(s) outlined in the Pathway to Treatment.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

Our database search strategy was designed for sensitivity to identify studies on disparate prolongation of the Pathway to Treatment for endometrial cancer, tallying 2,171. Inclusion criteria were broad, yet only 24 studies addressed this issue. All articles were independently screened by two reviewers.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

Twenty-four studies were included: 10 on symptom appraisal, five on help seeking, five on diagnosis, and 10 on pretreatment intervals. Quality rankings were heterogeneous, between 3 and 9 (median 7.2) per the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We identified three qualitative, two participatory, and two intervention studies. Studies on help seeking predominantly investigate patient-driven delays. When disease factors were controlled for, delays of the pretreatment interval were independently associated with racism toward Black and Hispanic people, less education, lower socioeconomic status, and nonprivate insurance.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence gaps on disparities in timeliness of endometrial cancer care reveal emphasis of patient-driven help-seeking delays, reliance on health care-derived databases, underutilization of participatory methods, and a paucity of intervention studies.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

Given that PROSPERO was not accepting systematic scoping review protocols at the time this study began, this study protocol was shared a priori through Open Science Framework on January 13, 2021 (doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/V2ZXY), and through peer review publication on April 13, 2021 (doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01649-x).

Landmark Series on Disparities: Uterine Cancer and Strategies for Mitigation

Longstanding racial disparities exist in uterine cancer. There is a growing body of literature documenting differences in the prevalence, diagnosis, treatment, and tumor characteristics of uterine cancer in Black women compared with White women that significantly contribute to the outcome disparity seen between the groups. This article seeks to provide an overview of racial disparities present in uterine cancer, with attention on Black women in the USA, as well as offer a review on the multifactorial etiology of the disparities described.

Integrating hereditary breast and ovarian cancer genetic counselling and testing into mainstream clinical practice: Legal and ethical challenges

Health professionals not specialized in genetics are expected to take an increasing role in genetic services delivery. This article aims to identify legal and ethical challenges related to a collaborative oncogenetics service model, where non-genetic health professionals provide genetic services to patients. Through a scoping literature review, we identified issues to the provision of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, or other hereditary adult cancers, genetic testing under this model. Concerns that arose in the literature were informed consent, lack of adherence to best practice guidelines, lack of education of non-genetic health professionals on the provision of genetic services, psychological impacts of genetic testing, continuity of care, the complexity of genetic test results, confidentiality, risks of medical mismanagement, and the associated medical responsibility liabilities. Despite these challenges, there is a growing consensus towards the feasibility of cancer genetic testing being undertaken by non-genetic healthcare professionals in a collaborative oncogenetics service model.

Sociodemographic disparities in stage-specific incidences of endometrial cancer: a registry-based study in West Sweden, 1995-2016

Background: For a few types of cancer, lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher incidence, and for even more cancer types it is associated with having a less favorable tumor stage at diagnosis. For endometrial cancer (EC), however, there is no clear evidence of such associations with SES. There is a need for analysis of sociodemographic disparities in EC incidences according to stage at diagnosis, which may provide support for trying to improve early detection of EC. Material and methods: Stage-specific incidences of endometrioid and non-endometrioid endometrial carcinomas [EECs (∼90% of all EC cases) and NECs (∼10%)] were analyzed for the population of the Western Swedish Healthcare Region, taking into account year (1995-2016), age, educational level (low, intermediate and high), and immigrant status (Swedish-born, foreign-born). All EC cases were identified and data were obtained from population-based registries. Results: Stage distribution of diagnosed EECs differed significantly according to the educational level of patients who were aged between 50 and 74 years at diagnosis, but not in the case of younger or older patients. An analysis based on 3113 EEC cases aged 50-74 years at diagnosis revealed marked disparities in the stage-II to stage-IV EEC incidences but not in the stage-I EEC incidence. Compared to women with a high level of education, the incidence rate ratios of stage-I, stage-II and stage-III and -IV EEC in women with a low level of education were 1.00 (95% CI: 0.90-1.12), 1.65 (1.13-2.42), and 1.82 (1.33-2.49), respectively. For NEC, we found no such association. Conclusions: Elevated incidences of stage-II to stage-IV EEC in 50- to 74-year-old women with a low level of education suggest that there should be targeted health service trials aimed at improving awareness of EC. Well-targeted EC awareness programs might lead to considerable health benefits.