Chemotherapy in endometrial cancer

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A review suggests that intensive chemotherapy adds only one month to the life of a woman with endometrial cancer.
Many women with endometrial (womb) cancer have other health problems such as diabetes and they tend to be older. A review led by Dr Caroline Humber of Walsgrave Hospital, England, now looks at what chemotherapy can give these women.

A comparison of combination chemotherapy with a single drug shows that the former does a better job of controlling tumor growth. But the side effects may not make the extra time - about a month - very worthwhile. There is an issue about serious toxic effects to the kidneys, heart, digestive and nervous systems. The researchers were not able to find much about how the various treatments affected the quality of life for these women - although some studies are ongoing. Clearly for a woman looking at treatments for advanced endometrial cancer, quality of life issues might well need to be balanced against potential side effects.

Source
The Cochrane Library September 2005

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