Profiling Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes of Women with Endometrial Cancer in Puerto Rico: The Central Role of Obesity and Obstetric Features.

Abstract

Introduction: Incidence of endometrial cancer (EC) in Hispanic/Latina (H/L) women are higher compared to other race/ethnicities in the United States. EC is the third most common cancer and the fourth cause of cancer-related deaths in Puerto Rican women, yet demographic and clinical information is limited. High rates of EC risk factors such as obesity, diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) and hypertension (HTN) have been documented in the Puerto Rican population.

Objective: To describe the demographic, clinical history, lifestyle, obstetrical-gynecological, pathologic, and molecular profiles of women with EC predominantly from Southern/Central Puerto Rico.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective secondary analysis of data abstracted from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry (PRCCR), self-administered questionnaires and medical records of EC cases. Descriptive statistics were conducted using SPSS V28 and RStudio.

Results: We identified 105 EC cases aged 28-82. The major risk factors were BMI ≥ 30 (72%), HTN (33%), and DM2 (20%). Endometrioid adenocarcinoma was the main histological tumor type (80%), of which 74% were Type I. Obesity and nulliparity were associated with younger age at diagnosis. Older age at diagnosis (> 65 y/o) was associated with more advanced disease.

Conclusions: This study defined the clinical-demographic profile of women with EC from Puerto Rico and identified risks factors that are associated with younger or older age at diagnosis.

Impact: Profiling the risk factors for EC may help improve diagnostic accuracy and clinical management and result in better outcomes for this under-served, under-researched cancer patient population.