New molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma: impact on histopathological diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis

Abstract

Introduction. Endometrial carcinoma is a heterogeneous pathology in pathologenic, histopathological, and molecular terms. Over the last years, efforts have been made to clarify and increase knowledge of molecular bases, as such dividing patients into four subgroups described by the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), obtaining valuable information that affects the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of patients with this disease. The objective of this review is to exhibit the new molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma, and to discuss its advantages when stratifying patients and making therapeutic decisions. Division of Covered Topics. A non-systematic bibliographical search was carried out in the PubMed, Cochrane, and Medline databases from 2014 to 2020, on endometrial carcinoma and its molecular classification. The historical context, different molecular subgroups and how these impact patient handling are shown in a concrete and updated way. Conclusions. Endometrial carcinoma is a heterogeneous disease in histopathological, clinical, and molecular terms. With the new classification and the prospective studies, new strategies can be created to provide better diagnostic and therapeutic protocols.