Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Our Expertise & Technology

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Dr. Yukio Sonoda, Dr. Richard Barakat, Chief, Gynecology Service, Surgery, and Dr. Dennis Chi, Co-Director, Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery
Dr. Yukio Sonoda, Dr. Richard Barakat, Chief, Gynecology Service, Surgery, and Dr. Dennis Chi, Co-Director, Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery (from left)

About 1,300 women with some form of gynecologic cancer come to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center each year, including about 190 new patients with endometrial cancer.

The primary form of treatment for endometrial cancer is surgery, followed by a combination of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy. Our team approach to treatment gives each patient the benefit of unequaled expertise in treating every aspect of endometrial cancer.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Because endometrial cancer develops in the lining of the uterus, most women need to have the uterus removed through a procedure called hysterectomy. Memorial Sloan-Kettering surgeons have been leaders in the adoption of less-invasive techniques such as laparoscopic-assisted surgery for hysterectomy. In this procedure, a thin, lighted tube with a video camera at its tip (called a laparoscope) is inserted through a tiny incision in the abdominal wall, and the image is projected onto a large viewing screen. Guided by this highly magnified image, the surgeon can operate through tiny surgical "ports" using specially designed surgical instruments to remove the uterus through the vagina. This minimally invasive surgical approach results in fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and lower costs compared with open abdominal surgery.

  • Use of Robotics for Surgery

    Memorial Sloan-Kettering was the first cancer hospital to acquire a state-of-the-art robotic da Vinci™ Surgical System for cancer surgery. This technology offers the surgeon a number of significant advantages, among them an enhanced view of the operating field and a greater range of motion. Our gynecologic surgeons may use the robot to perform minimally invasive procedures for women with uterine cancers.

Our Clinical Trials
Our Clinical Trials
Find out about new research studies for uterine cancer
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Leading-Edge Research

At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, we are currently engaged in a program of active research in endometrial cancer. This includes investigations into the epidemiology and molecular genetics of endometrial cancer, the use of new imaging techniques, and novel ways to identify and combat the spread of cancer, or metastases.

Through our own research programs and those of the Gynecologic Oncology Group (a multi-institutional clinical research group supported by the National Cancer Institute), we are committed to clinical research that will improve both the survival and quality of life for women with gynecologic cancers. We also are actively engaged in the development of new drugs for treatment of endometrial cancer when other treatments have not been effective.

Tamoxifen

Memorial Sloan-Kettering investigators have completed studies to evaluate screening methods for endometrial cancer in women receiving tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. (Adjuvant therapy refers to secondary treatment given after the primary treatment to increase the chances of a cure). The findings indicated that women who take tamoxifen should receive yearly gynecologic examinations and immediately report any signs of nonmenstrual vaginal bleeding to their doctor. They also found that a special type of ultrasound called sonohysterography was more sensitive at diagnosing endometrial cancers in women treated with tamoxifen than was the traditional method of diagnosis, endometrial biopsy. The use of sonohysterography as a screening method may spare countless women from unnecessary biopsies and other invasive procedures. [PubMed Abstract]

Uterine Sarcoma Program

Although the majority of endometrial cancers are carcinomas, some women develop a rare kind of cancer called uterine sarcoma. Unlike carcinomas that begin in the lining of the uterus, sarcomas originate in the muscle or other connective tissues of the uterus. Because uterine sarcomas are so rare, expert pathological review is critical; and, because the behavior of these tumors can be highly variable, it is important for women diagnosed with these cancers to receive treatment at a center with experience caring for such patients. Memorial Sloan-Kettering has experts who diagnose and treat uterine sarcomas, and we also have an active research program aimed at developing more effective therapies for these diseases.

Leiomyosarcoma

To treat leiomyosarcoma, a type of sarcoma that occurs within the uterine muscle wall, we have developed a novel chemotherapy regimen that has demonstrated excellent efficacy in women whose sarcoma has metastasized and cannot be removed surgically. The success of this regimen in leiomyosarcomas has led to additional research efforts, including two larger studies of our treatment regimen by the Gynecologic Oncology Group and the acceptance of this treatment regimen as a standard treatment for advanced sarcoma by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. We also led the clinical trial that showed this regimen to be effective in patients with other types of soft tissue sarcoma.

©2008 Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.