Improving outcomes for women experiencing gynaecological cancer
Principal Advisor: Professor Andreas Obermair
Email: a.obermair@uq.edu.au
Research group page: Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer Research
Organisational unit: UQ Centre for Clinical Research
Endometrial cancer originates from the inner layer of the uterus and is the fifth most common cancer in women. In Australia, the incidence is >3,000 cases per year and this is rising at a rate of 1% year on year, while globally over 400,000 patients are diagnosed annually. Current standard treatment requires surgical removal of the uterus, tubes, and ovaries (hysterectomy). Clinical management guidelines for early-stage endometrial cancer also prescribe lymph node dissection to determine (via histopathology) the extent of the disease, however, this may lead to treatment that is more extensive than necessary. We are currently running a phase III randomised clinical trial exploring the risks and benefits of lymph node dissection in clinical stage I endometrial cancer. The primary outcome of the trial is to determine the probability of disease-free survival at 4 years. This project focuses on assessing: Patient-reported outcome measures, including health-related quality of life and fear of cancer recurrence; Perioperative outcomes, including intra- and postoperative adverse events; Lower-limb lymphoedema; Requirements for adjuvant treatment; Biomarkers to improve outcomes for patients.