Grant: Proof of Principle Program - Phase I

Annually in North America, there are approximately 60,000 new cases of endometrial cancer, with 11,000 women dying of this disease. It has the fastest growing mortality rate of all cancers. Most women with this disease may be cured by surgery alone and could be discharged to the care of their community physicians. A minority of women will have disease that has spread beyond the uterus or that comes back aggressively and requires extensive treatment and surveillance. At the moment, it is not possible to reliably distinguish between the first described 'low-risk' group and the second described 'high-risk' group. Consequently, both under-treatment and over-treatment is a common problem for women with endometrial cancer. Here, we are proposing to complete development of a diagnostic assay that assesses the molecular features of endometrial cancers, and can be used to determine the risk of disease coming back, guide referral for additional testing, and recommend the type of surgery performed and need (if any) for additional therapy or follow-up. This assay, called ProMisE (Proactive Molecular Risk Classifier for Endometrial Cancer), will supplement the information already used by clinicians to better guide their decision making. In addition to health economic benefits, this will lead to improved outcomes for women with endometrial cancer.