Endometrial Cancer continues to plague tens of thousands of American women annually. Although Total Hysterectomy has long been the trusted solution, the surgical procedure is contraindicated in those who suffer from morbid obesity and cardiac diseases. Hence, not all women can avail of the benefits of the traditional cancer treatment method. However, that is all set to change after Georgia Health Sciences University Cancer Center’s researchers came up with an alternative that’s appropriate for both low- and high-risk patients.
Led by Dr. Sharad Ghamande, the group studied a number of high-risk patients with atypical endometrial hyperplasia and early-stage endometrioid adenocarcinoma. They were treated with an intrauterine device that secretes Levonorgestrel, a progestin. The device was originally intended and marketed for contraception.
In a span of two years, the patients’ endometrial stripe (thickness) was monitored via transvaginal ultrasound. Results revealed that indeed, there was a considerable gradual thinning of the endometrial stripe before, during and by the end of the study. To further affirm the treatment’s efficacy, a follow-up endometrial biopsy was performed and showed that abnormal cell growths were also significantly reversed.
In hindsight, Ghamande and his team were not only able to come up with “a lower-risk and more cost-effective way” of endometrial cancer management; they have also established the importance of transvaginal ultrasound as both a diagnostic and subsequent assessment tool for the disease.
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