Conservative Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Therapy in Early Stage of Endometrial Carcinoma Associated with Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog Expression

Abstract

Young patients with the endometrial cancer IA who desire to preserve fertility, can select the conservative therapy with progestin. However, the therapy involves risks of progression and relapse. We examined immunohistochemical analyses of phosphatase and tension homolog (PTEN) and p53 expressions to predict the early relapse, and pregnancy and delivery. Twenty women with endometrial cancer, FIGO IA (1988) (FIGO staging was essentially defined post-surgically), instead of the pathogical specimen before surgery without myometrial invasion were estimated by MRI under 40 years at Gifu University Hospital, Japan from 1988 to 2009. Patients were treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 400 - 600 mg/day) for 4 - 10 months, with whole wall endometrial curettage performed every four weeks. Response to the therapy, pregnancy, delivery and relapse of disease during follow-up over a 72-month period. Immunohistochemical expression of PTEN and p53 was also evaluated with pregnancy, delivery and relapse rate. All patients had pathological complete remissions within 4 - 10 months. Relapse rate was high (60%) in more than 72 months. Immunohistochemical PTEN retain in tumor cells before MPA treatment (8/10) was significant better correlation with pregnancy and delivery rate than of lost cases (1/5) in non-obese women (P < 0.05). Conservative therapy is feasible in carefully selected young women with endometrial cancer without myometrial invasion. However, the relapse rate was high. In cases who desire to be a pregnant, an earlier infertility treatment may be considered especially for PTEN loss especially in nonobese cases.