The importance of molecular classification of endometrial carcinomas in clinical practice: how to apply it and difficulties in application

Abstract

Classification of endometrial carcinomas (EC) based solely on histological features is not sufficient for the prognostic and therapeutic guidance of patients. Furthermore, the existence of EC in which the histological type cannot be determined clearly and the poor reproducibility of histological typing have led to difficulties in clinical management. However, molecular classification of EC is very promising because of the high reproducibility and good correlation with clinical outcome. Within the scope of “the Cancer Genome Atlas Project”, EC were divided into four different genomic subtypes, and molecular classification models for EC were developed based on these molecular subcategories. The prognostic differences between these molecular subgroups and the benefit for guidance for adjuvant therapy have been clearly demonstrated in studies. In this article, the importance of molecular classification for EC is discussed and its use in clinical practice is reviewed.