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Retreatment with progestin for recurrence after complete response with fertility-sparing treatment in patients with endometrial cancer
  1. A Jin Lee1,
  2. Seung-Hyuk Shim1,
  3. Nae Ry Kim1,
  4. Eun Jung Yang1,
  5. Kyeong A So1,
  6. Sun Joo Lee1,
  7. Ji Young Lee1,
  8. Tae Jin Kim1 and
  9. Soon-Beom Kang2
  1. 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Research Institute of Medical Science, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  2. 2 Hosan Women’s Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  1. Correspondence to Dr Seung-Hyuk Shim, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Research Institute of Medical Science, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; nastassja{at}hanmail.net

Abstract

Objective To assess the outcomes of retreatment using progestin for recurrence after a complete response with fertility-sparing treatment in patients with early endometrial cancer.

Methods We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with presumed stage IA, grade 1 endometrioid endometrial cancer who developed intra-uterine recurrence after a complete response with fertility-sparing treatment using progestin. Oncological and pregnancy outcomes were analyzed after repeated fertility-sparing treatment. Logistic and Cox regression analyses were performed to analyze the prognostic factors associated with a complete response with secondary fertility-sparing treatment and recurrence-free survival after secondary fertility-sparing treatment, respectively.

Results Fifty patients with a median age of 31 years (range 23–40) underwent secondary fertility-sparing treatment. With a median secondary progestin treatment duration of 9 months (range 3–55), the complete response rate was 78% (39/50) and no patients had extra-uterine spread of disease. Among the 26 (67%) patients who attempted to conceive after complete response, 10 became pregnant (3 spontaneous abortions, 7 live births). Eighteen (46.1%) patients had a second recurrence, with a median recurrence-free survival after secondary fertility-sparing treatment of 14 months (range 3–36); 15 patients received tertiary fertility-sparing treatment and nine (60%) achieved a complete response. Polycystic ovary on ultrasound (OR 5.82, 95% CI 1.1 to 30.6, p=0.037) was associated with an increased complete response rate with secondary fertility-sparing treatment. Multivariable analysis revealed that recurrence-free survival after initial hormonal treatment >6 months (HR 0.11, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.51, p=0.005) and pregnancy after secondary fertility-sparing treatment (HR 0.27, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.98; p=0.047) were significantly associated with longer recurrence-free survival after secondary fertility-sparing treatment.

Conclusions Repeated progestin treatment was associated with a 78% response rate and it was safe in patients with intra-uterine recurrent endometrial cancer. Thus, it might help preserve fertility after first and second recurrences.

  • Endometrial Neoplasms

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.

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Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.

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Footnotes

  • Contributors AJL: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, visualization, writing - original draft, writing - review and editing. S-HS: Conceptualization, investigation, methodology, formal analysis, resources, supervision, visualization, writing - original draft, writing - review and editing. NRK: Investigation, validation, writing - review and editing. EJY: Investigation, validation, writing - review and editing. KAS: Investigation, validation, writing - review and editing. SJL: Validation, writing - review and editing. JYL: Validation, writing - review and editing. TJK: Validation, writing - review and editing. S-BK: Data curation, resources, writing - review and editing. S-HS acts as guarantor.

  • Funding This work was supported by Konkuk University Medical Center Research Grant 2021.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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