Funding outcome

Endometrial cancer, or cancer of the uterine lining, is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system in Canada with cases rising each year. Treatment depends on its stage, which is how far the cancer has spread. In early stages, disease has not spread outside the uterus. Fortunately, most cases of endometrial cancer are detected in these stages, where it can be effectively treated with robotic surgery, which is less invasive than traditional methods. If the cancer has spread outside the uterus, then more aggressive treatment is needed after surgery. Since endometrial cancer first spreads to the lymph nodes around the uterus, a technique called sentinel lymph node biopsy is used to detect cancer in the lymph nodes. If cancer has spread to the lymph nodes then more aggressive treatment is required. While these treatments have improved outcomes in endometrial cancer, there are still patients who have cancer recurrence despite complete treatment. With new advances in detection, more endometrial cancer patients are being found to have isolated tumour cells (ITCs) in their lymph nodes. This means that a small amount of cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes, but not enough for the lymph node to be considered entirely cancerous. The prevalence of ITCs in endometrial cancer is not fully understood. Further, there is controversy about whether patients with ITCs but no other cancer spread should be treated with more aggressive therapy, and it is unclear whether such treatment reduces cancer recurrence in these patients. The aim of this study is to determine what types of cancer treatment may be beneficial in early-stage endometrial cancer patients with ITCs. By analyzing a database of endometrial cancer patients treated with robotic surgery, we aim to identify risk factors for cancer recurrence and identify if patients with ITCs are at higher risk. This work will help guide treatment approaches for endometrial cancer to improve outcomes for patients.