Endometrial Cancer Stem Cells: Where Do We Stand and Where Should We Go?

Abstract

Endometrial cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases in women worldwide, with an incidence of 5.9%. Thus, it is the most frequent cancer of the female genital tract, with more than 34,000 women dying, in Europe and North America alone. Endometrial Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) might be drivers of carcinogenesis as well as metastatic and recurrent disease. Therefore, targeting CSCs is of high interest to improve prognosis of patients suffering of advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. This review describes the current evidence of molecular mechanisms in endometrial CSCs with special emphasis on MYC and NF-κB signaling as well as mitochondrial metabolism. Furthermore, the current status of immunotherapy targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 in endometrial cancer cells and CSCs is elucidated. The outlined findings encourage novel therapies that target signaling pathways in endometrial CSCs as well as immunotherapy as a promising therapeutic approach in the treatment of endometrial cancer to impede cancer progression and prevent recurrence.

The Role of Selected Adipocytokines in Ovarian Cancer and Endometrial Cancer

“…Endometrial cancer (EC) is among the most common gynecological cancers in developed countries. Unfortunately, the incidence of this cancer is increasing worldwide, and this trend is expected to continue for the next 10 years [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Based on GLOBOCAN statistics, 417,367 new cases were diagnosed in 2020, and 97,370 deaths were registered, as presented in Figure 1 .…”

“…The above data makes EC the sixth most common cancer among women [ 12 , 33 ]. The incidence of endometrial cancer is estimated at nearly 5.9% [ 28 ]. Endometrial cancer is diagnosed primarily in postmenopausal women.…”

MIR-379-5p Expression in Endometrial Cancer and Its Correlation with ROR1 Expression

“…Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most prevalent cancer of the female reproductive organs and the world's sixth most common cancer, in 2020, new cases about 417, 367 and 97,370 deaths due to EC worldwide as, the GLOBOCAN database (Ferlay et al, 2021). The rate of occurrence has risen dramatically in the previous decade, especially in developed countries with an incidence of 5.9% (Jansen et al, 2022). Genetic predisposition is increasingly acknowledged as a major component in endometrial cancer risk, in addition to reproductive variables and excess weight (Dork et al, 2020).…”

Platycodin D inhibits the proliferation, invasion and migration of endometrial cancer cells by blocking the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway via ADRA2A upregulation

“…Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy worldwide, with an incidence estimated at 5.9% and continuing to rise (1,2). EC ranks as the fourth most frequently occurring cancer among females and exerts a high psychological and physical burden on patients (3).…”