Fertility Sparing Treatment of Endometrial Cancer with and without Initial Infiltration of Myometrium: A Single Center Experience

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract, and in 14% of cases, is diagnosed in premenopausal women, While, the cancer appears in 5% in women of childbearing age. Preserving fertility in these women should be the goal of cancer practice. The aim of our study is to describe pregnancy outcomes of our center in women with G1 endometrial endometrioid cancer and atypical endometrial hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasm undergone conservative treatment. Moreover, for the first time, obstetric and oncological outcomes are described in a long follow up, including women with minimal myometrial infiltration. ABSTRACT: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the fourth largest female cancer in Europe and North America. In 5% of cases, the diagnosis is made in women who wish to become pregnant. In our retrospective study, we reported our experience about fertility sparing treatment of G1 endometrioid endometrial cancer (G1 EEC) or atypical endometrial hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasm (AEH/EIN) in young women desiring pregnancy treated in our Center. Conservative treatment was based on operative hysteroscopy and hormone therapy with megestrol acetate (160 mg/die for 9 months). For the first time we included women with G1 EEC with minimal myometrial infiltration. The minimum follow-up period was two years and consisted of serial outpatient hysteroscopies with endometrial biopsies. Among the 36 women with G1 EEC we observed one case of disease persistence and four recurrences and four recurrences among the 46 women diagnosed with AEH/EIN. To date, 35 live births were obtained in both groups. Our results advance the hypothesis that conservative treatment can represent a safe and feasible alternative to propose to young women with desire for pregnancy. Further randomized and multicentric studies are needed to arrive at unambiguous and standardized guidelines on the surgical and medical treatment of young women with EEC or AEH/EIN.