Efficacy of metformin for advanced-stage endometrial cancer: A case report

Pathogenesis and Clinical Management of Uterine Serous Carcinoma

Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive variant of endometrial cancer that has not been well characterized. It accounts for less than 10% of all endometrial cancers and 80% of endometrial cancer–related deaths. Currently, staging surgery together with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, especially vaginal cuff brachytherapy, is the main treatment strategy for USC. Whole-exome sequencing combined with preclinical and clinical studies are verifying a series of effective and clinically accessible inhibitors targeting frequently altered genes, such as HER2 and PI3K3CA, in varying USC patient populations. Some progress has also been made in the immunotherapy field. The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway has been found to be activated in many USC patients, and clinical trials of PD-1 inhibitors in USC are underway. This review updates the progress of research regarding the molecular pathogenesis and putative clinical management of USC.

Association of abnormal glucose metabolism and insulin resistance in patients with atypical and typical endometrial cancer

This study aimed to detect glucose metabolism indicators and insulin resistance index in patients with endometrial cancer, and to explore the clinical significance and correlation between them. A total of 65 patients with endometrial cancer (52 of typical endometrial and 13 cases of atypical endometrial cancer patients, 27 with diabetes mellitus, and 38 cases without diabetes mellitus) were selected at the People's Hospital of Rizhao from June, 2010 to June, 2016 to serve as the observation group. During the same period, 62 patients with endometrial benign lesions (24 with diabetes mellitus and 38 cases without diabetes mellitus) were selected as the control group. General information including height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), abdominal, waist and hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was compared between the two groups. Fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting insulin level (FINS), insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), follicle estrogen (FSH), luteinizing hormone and estradiol (estrogen) were detected and compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for endometrial cancer. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the height and hip circumference among the typical, atypical and control groups. By contrast, weight, BMI, waist circumference, abdominal circumference and the WHR of the typical group were significantly higher than those of the atypical and control groups (P<0.05). No significant differences were found between the atypical and control groups (P>0.05). Levels of the FINS and HOMA-IR typical group were significantly higher than those in the atypical and control groups, and the incidence of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance was significantly higher in the observation than in the control group (P<0.05). Of the patients with diabetes, the levels of FINS, HOMA-IR and estrogen were significantly higher, but the level of FSH was significantly lower in the observation compared to the control group (P<0.05). For patients without diabetes, significant differences in the levels of FINS and HOMA-IR were found between the observation and control groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the levels of FINS and HOMA-IR among endometrial cancer patients with different pathological features (P>0.05). HOMA-IR (OR=1.240), estrogen (OR=1.192) and FSH (OR=1.002) are risk factors for endometrial cancer. The results suggest that hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance are risk factors of endometrial cancer. Insulin may therefore be involved in the development of endometrial cancer by affecting the level of sex hormones.