Effectiveness of aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of advanced endometrial adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Purpose: Type I endometrial cancer is a common tumor of the female genital tract. Since in post-menopausal women aromatase enzyme can stimulate the endometrial tissue neoplastic growth, the use of aromatase inhibitors may have a therapeutic effect, especially in patients not eligible for surgery.

Methods: A systematic review has been performed, with a very specific scope, i.e., the use of aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, as a single agent or in combination with others drugs.

Results: On the basis of the 117 records retrieved from the bibliographic search, the rationale for the use of aromatase inhibitors in endometrial cancer therapy is discussed. Six papers fall within the scope of our systematic review and their results are thoroughly analyzed. Moreover, we report our experience on the clinical effectiveness of anastrozole in the post-chemotherapy treatment of a patient affected by advanced-stage endometrial cancer.

Conclusion: In general, aromatase inhibitors seem to have limited clinical benefit in the treatment of advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer, although further clinical trials are necessary to investigate more in depth their role. In our case, we experienced a positive feedback in terms of control of an advanced-stage disease.

Keywords: Adenocarcinoma; Anastrozole; Aromatase inhibitor; Endometrial cancer; Hormone therapy.