Project 466604

The proposed research project focuses on validating an epidemiological risk model to improve targeted prevention strategies for endometrial cancer (EC), or cancer of the uterus. This gynaecological cancer is an epidemic with rising incidence and mortality rates. EC treatment involves surgical hysterectomies, or uterus removal, as chemotherapeutic strategies are lacking; however, data reveals that 15-20% of EC patients have recurring cancer prior to hysterectomies. Clinicians should focus on assessing endometrial hyperplasia (EH), a precursor of EC with similar risk factors and a more common diagnosis. Early detection of EH is proactive as it is 80-100% reversible. Our research aims to validate and improve two pre-existing risk models for EC that show early predicting ability but lack consistent validation. These models utilize data from the Canada Partnership for Tomorrow Project (CanPath), a large prospective cohort study focusing on cancer prevention. Validation will be done by considering commonly associated risk factors and improving such models by including additional factors from baseline CanPath data such as EH incidence, and gender and socio-ethnical impacts. Once validated, the two previously proposed risk models for EC will allow stratification of at-risk patients to appropriate prevention strategies. Risk model improvement is critical as EC risk factors are modifiable; this may enhance tailored prevention strategies, allowing for identification of high-risk asymptomatic women. This investigation is also beneficial for addressing inequities associated with cancer by assessing how gender and socio-ethnical constructs fit into our EC risk models which allows screening to impact a wider audience. Ultimately, our goal is to potentially reduce EC incidence by 80%.