Uterine serous carcinoma

Uterine corpus cancer is the third most common cancer in women in the United States, with approximately 65,620 new cases in the United States in 2020 and 12,590 estimated deaths. Uterine cancers can be broadly classified into two groups. Cancers of endometrioid histology are common (about 80% of cases), are associated with obesity and estrogen exposure, and generally have good prognosis. Nonendometrioid cancers are more rare (~20%), are less hormone dependent, and have poorer prognosis. Uterine serous carcinoma is the most common form of nonendometrioid uterine corpus cancer. Uterine serous carcinoma accounts for about 10% of uterine cancers but 39% of deaths. Uterine serous carcinoma is more likely to be stage III or IV at presentation (52% of cases), even compared with other high-risk endometrial cancer histologies (36% for clear cell and 29% for grade 3 endometrioid carcinoma). Even controlling for stage, 5-year survival rates in uterine serous carcinoma are poor, with rates of 74% in stages I–II disease and 33% in stages III–IV disease. Comparatively, clear cell endometrial cancers and grade 3 endometrioid cancers have survival rates of around 80% for stages I–II disease and 40%–50% for stages III–IV disease.