Malignant tumors of the uterine corpus: molecular background of their origin

Abstract

Tumors of the uterine corpus can be divided into two main groups: endometrial tumors and mesenchymal tumors. The former ones are common gynecological diseases, whereas malignant mesenchymal tumors, which behave in a much more aggressive way, are quite rare with a poorer prognosis. The most common type of endometrial tumors is endometrioid adenocarcinomas, and in case of mesenchymal tumors, these are carcinosarcomas, or leiomyosarcomas, if only clear types of tumors are taken into account. The objective of this article is to review molecular-genetic abnormalities associated with tumorigenesis of both types of tumors, with focus on the most aggressive forms. This view includes a different expression pattern of genes, usually aberrant in cases of uterine cancer that can arise due to epigenetic modifications, mostly hypermethylation of promoters or microRNA (miRNA)'s interference with concrete genes. Furthermore, clinical predispositions of tumorigenesis, involving hormonal factors, age, and ethnicity, are also mentioned.

Keywords: Endometrial cancer; Endometrium; Sarcoma; Uterine corpus tumors.