Disease Briefing

Endometrial cancer: research and therapeutic landscape

A live synthesis of what is being targeted, what is being trialled, which datasets exist, and where the actionable gaps sit — assembled from public APIs, with every figure traceable to its source.

Generated 2026-09-12Sources Open Targets · ClinicalTrials.gov · openFDA · GEO · PubMed · Europe PMC · iCite · RePORTERRanked 168 studies · 4,941 GEO samples
Reading as
Reorders emphasis only — nothing is hidden or loaded on demand.

Answer block

12 genes recurrently implicated in endometrial cancer — PTEN, PIK3CA, TP53, POLE, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, ARID1A, CTNNB1, ESR1, PGR, ERBB2 — triaged for what can actually be aimed at them, alongside the trials, public datasets, literature and funding around the disease. Every figure below carries its source and retrieval date in the section it comes from.

7
drugs carry an FDA label naming endometrial cancer: Choriogonadotropin Alfa, Clomiphene, Clomiphene Citrtae, Dostarlimab, Durvalumab, Lenvatinib and 1 more. This counts labels, not treatment — the disease is also treated with agents approved under broader indications
1
of the 12 genes above carry a drug that is approved in endometrial cancer itself — ESR1. Across all of them 179 drug entries reach these genes, 162 distinct once salt forms are merged
2
registered PD-1 cell-therapy trials in endometrial cancer, 2 active. Counted from ClinicalTrials.gov across 4 synonyms, deduplicated by NCT id, interventional studies only — the query is published in the JSON beside this page so the number can be re-derived
6
targets carry an Open Targets tractability signal and have no clinical programme of any kind: PTEN, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, ARID1A, CTNNB1
437
human GEO series match the disease; 168 survive on-topic filtering, and only 6 are patient cohorts of 100+ samples
208
Europe PMC full-text papers name GSE17025 — the highest accession-mention count in the set. A mention is not proof of reanalysis, so read it as reach rather than reuse
$29.8M
NIH obligations in FY2025, up 237% since 2013 — while distinct core projects went 21 to 30. Larger awards rather than more distinct core projects; core projects are not the same unit as laboratories

Target landscape

Open Targets · retrieved 2026-09-12 · weekly

12 genes recurrently implicated in endometrial cancer, triaged for whether anything can actually be aimed at them. The zeros are the informative rows.

Of 12 recurrently implicated genes, 7 carry any drug at all. That is a statement about these 12 gene targets, not about the disease: Endometrial cancer does have labelled therapy — 7 drugs, listed in the next section.

Two different questions

The table below asks what can be aimed at 12 recurrently implicated genes. That is narrower than what is approved for the disease, and narrower again than what endometrial cancer is actually treated with, which includes agents approved under broader indications. All three are on this page and they are kept apart deliberately.

GeneDrugsApproval, and whether it reached this diseaseOpen Targets tractabilitycomputed from protein features and literature — a signal that a modality is worth trying, not evidence that it worksCell therapy here
PTEN across cancers → 0 No drug antibody, protein degrader, small molecule
PIK3CA across cancers → 31 3 approvedAlpelisib, Copanlisib, InavolisibApproved in breast cancer, breast neoplasm, breast carcinoma and 3 other indications. No endometrial cancer indication appears on these drugs’ labels.13 active of 32 endometrial cancer trials antibody, protein degrader, small molecule
TP53 across cancers → 8 Phase 3Alrizomadlin, Cenersen, Contusugene Ladenovec, Eprenetapopt, Idasanutlin, Navtemadlin, Siremadlin, Teprasiran1 active of 1 endometrial cancer trial other clinical modality, protein degrader, small molecule
POLE 6 4 approvedClofarabine, Cytarabine, Fludarabine, GemcitabineApproved in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia and 10 other indications. No endometrial cancer indication appears on these drugs’ labels.11 active of 26 endometrial cancer trials antibody, protein degrader, small molecule
MLH1 across cancers → 0 No drug protein degrader, small molecule
MSH2 across cancers → 0 No drug protein degrader, small molecule
MSH6 0 No drug protein degrader, small molecule
ARID1A across cancers → 0 No drug protein degrader
CTNNB1 across cancers → 1 Phase 2Pri-724No endometrial cancer trial of any of these drugs antibody, other clinical modality, protein degrader, small molecule
ESR1 across cancers → 43 29 approvedArzoxifene, Bazedoxifene, Clomiphene, Cyclofenil, Dienestrol, Diethylstilbestrol, Diethylstilbestrol Diphosphate, Elacestrant, Estetrol, Estradiol, Estradiol Cypionate, Estradiol Valerate, Estriol, Estrogens, Conjugated, Estrogens, Conjugated Synthetic A, Estrogens, Esterified, Estrone, Estropipate, Ethinyl Estradiol, Fulvestrant, Lasofoxifene, Mestranol, Ospemifene, Polyestradiol, Quinestrol, Raloxifene, Synthetic Conjugated Estrogens, B, Tamoxifen, ToremifeneApproved in endometrial cancer: Clomiphene.63 active of 149 endometrial cancer trials antibody, other clinical modality, protein degrader, small molecule
PGR across cancers → 28 20 approvedDanazol, Desogestrel, Drospirenone, Dydrogesterone, Ethynodiol Diacetate, Etonogestrel, Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate, Levonorgestrel, Medroxyprogesterone, Megestrol, Mifepristone, Nomegestrol, Norelgestromin, Norethindrone, Norgestimate, Norgestrel, Progesterone, Segesterone, Trimegestone, UlipristalApproved in breast fibrocystic disease, endometriosis, Menorrhagia and 20 other indications. No endometrial cancer indication appears on these drugs’ labels.59 active of 136 endometrial cancer trials antibody, protein degrader, small molecule
ERBB2 across cancers → 45 17 approvedAfatinib, Afatinib Dimaleate, Dacomitinib, Lapatinib, Lapatinib Ditosylate, Margetuximab, Masoprocol, Neratinib, Pertuzumab, Trastuzumab, Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Trastuzumab Duocarmazine, Trastuzumab Emtansine, Tucatinib, Vandetanib, Zanidatamab, ZenocutuzumabApproved in non-small cell lung carcinoma, breast cancer, breast neoplasm and 10 other indications. No endometrial cancer indication appears on these drugs’ labels.35 active of 52 endometrial cancer trials antibody, other clinical modality, protein degrader, small molecule

Dataset evidence counts studies in the 168-study ranked set whose title or abstract names the gene; the bar is scaled to PTEN. Sources: Open Targets Platform and NCBI GEO, retrieved 2026-09-12. Clinical stage is the highest reached for any indication — see the per-drug indications noted in each row. Target-prioritisation reference only; not clinical or prescribing guidance.

What is actually approved here

openFDA drug labels · weekly

7 drugs carry an FDA label naming endometrial cancer: Choriogonadotropin Alfa, Clomiphene, Clomiphene Citrtae, Dostarlimab, Durvalumab, Lenvatinib, Pembrolizumab. Separately, 72 of the drugs returned for the genes in the table above are approved only for other diseases and reach endometrial cancer through trials, not through their labels.

7Labelled for endometrial cancerFDA INDICATIONS AND USAGE names the disease
72Approved, but for another diseasereturned for the genes in the table above
0Backbone agents listing itbroad cytotoxics whose labels name many tumours
2Active PD-1 cell-therapy trialsof 2 registered

Every label that names endometrial cancer

DrugRoleWhat the label says
Choriogonadotropin AlfaOvidrelLabelled herePatients in later reproductive life have a greater predisposition to endometrial carcinoma as well as a higher incidence of anovulatory disorders.
ClomipheneCLOMID, Clomid, Clomiphene CitrateLabelled hereEndometriosis and Endometrial Carcinoma.
Clomiphene CitrtaeClomiphene CitrateLabelled hereEndometriosis and Endometrial Carcinoma.
DostarlimabJemperliLabelled hereEndometrial Cancer JEMPERLI, in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, followed by JEMPERLI as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer (EC).
DurvalumabIMFINZILabelled hereEndometrial Cancer IMFINZI, in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by IMFINZI as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer that is mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) as determined by an FDA-authorized test [see Dosage and Administration
LenvatinibLenvimaLabelled hereEndometrial Carcinoma (EC) In combination with pembrolizumab, for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma (EC) that is mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) or not microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), as determined by an FDA-approved test, who have disease progression following prior systemic therapy in any setting and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation.
PembrolizumabKEYTRUDA, KEYTRUDA QLEXLabelled hereEndometrial Carcinoma in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, followed by KEYTRUDA as a single agent, for the treatment of adult patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma.

37 labels match indications_and_usage:"endometrial cancer" OR indications_and_usage:"endometrial carcinoma"; they collapse to 7 distinct molecules once salt forms, biosimilars and co-formulated hyaluronidase are merged. Source: openFDA drug label API (api.fda.gov/drug/label.json), retrieved 2026-09-12. Labels change; this reflects the current label text, not the approval history. Not prescribing guidance.

Cell therapy against PD-1

ClinicalTrials.gov · retrieved 2026-09-12 · weekly

PD-1 is the busiest cell-therapy antigen in endometrial cancer: 2 registered trials, 2 still active. It has no gene entry of its own and is reached through PDCD1: the checkpoint receptor PDCD1 encodes, on the T cell.

TrialPhaseStatusTitleLast update
NCT054107171RecruitingCLDN6/GPC3/Mesothelin/AXL-CAR-NK Cell Therapy for Advanced Solid Tumors2024-06-25
NCT011741212RecruitingImmunotherapy Using Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Patients With Metastatic Cancer2026-09-01

2 of 2 shown, most recently active first. Other antigens searched: CLDN6 (2). Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2, retrieved 2026-09-12. Trials are matched on the antigen named in the title or intervention, so a trial stating only a product code is missed.

Research momentum

PubMed MeSH · monthly

Every term below is a share of the endometrial cancer literature, not a count, because the field itself grew: 2015–2018 (n=3,596) against 2021–2025 (n=5,832). A topic whose papers doubled while the field doubled has not risen.

Rising, with a real baseline

MeSH term2015–182021–25ChangeShare now
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized0.25%2.57%10.27×150 papers
Nomograms0.25%2.04%8.15×119 papers
Tumor Microenvironment0.58%3.89%6.66×227 papers
Progression-Free Survival0.36%2.04%5.64×119 papers
Immunotherapy0.36%1.99%5.5×116 papers
Genital Neoplasms, Female0.17%0.91%5.44×53 papers
Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor0.17%0.7%4.21×41 papers
B7-H1 Antigen0.36%1.18%3.27×69 papers
Conservative Treatment0.19%0.6%3.08×35 papers
Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary0.44%1.29%2.89×75 papers

Cooling

MeSH term2015–182021–25ChangeShare now
Neoplasms, Cystic, Mucinous, and Serous2.28%0.26%0.11×15 papers
Multivariate Analysis1.81%0.21%0.11×12 papers
Ovariectomy1.89%0.22%0.12×13 papers
Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell6.12%0.93%0.15×54 papers
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction1.47%0.24%0.16×14 papers
RNA, Small Interfering1.61%0.26%0.16×15 papers

Biggest topics now

MeSH term2015–182021–25ChangeShare now
Prognosis19.13%19.46%1.02×1135 papers
Neoplasm Staging23.67%16.68%0.7×973 papers
Biomarkers, Tumor13.88%14.06%1.01×820 papers
Carcinoma, Endometrioid19.3%14.01%0.73×817 papers
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local9.82%10.1%1.03×589 papers
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic9.09%8.86%0.97×517 papers
Endometrium11.4%7.9%0.69×461 papers
Cell Proliferation8.48%7.25%0.86×423 papers
Mutation4.87%7.2%1.48×420 papers
Risk Factors10.6%6.91%0.65×403 papers

Publication mix

Type2015–182021–25
Clinical Trial0.0%0.1%
Randomized Controlled Trial1.9%1.3%
Review8.1%7.9%
Meta-Analysis3.5%2.7%
Case Reports0.0%1.4%

Query: Endometrial Neoplasms[MeSH Major Topic] NOT ("Leiomyosarcoma"[MeSH] OR "Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal"[MeSH] OR "Leiomyoma"[MeSH] OR "Uterine Cervical Neoplasms"[MeSH] OR "Endometriosis"[MeSH]). Terms need at least 12 papers in the recent window and, in the rising table, at least 5 in the earlier one — a term going from 1 paper to 12 is a large fold change and no evidence of anything. Ubiquitous descriptors (Humans, Animals, age bands) and the disease’s own term are dropped. Source: PubMed MeSH, retrieved 2026-09-12.

Disease burden

What the public sources count, and how closely each category matches this disease. The same figures for every disease on the site are on one table.

MeasureValueMatchWhat it counts
New cases each year68,270 cases/yeardirect2026
Deaths each year14,450 deaths/yeardirect2026
Incidence rate28.7 cases per 100,000 women per yeardirect2019-2023
Death rate5.4 deaths per 100,000 women per yeardirect2020-2024
People living with it890,295 women living with the diseasedirect2023
Median age at diagnosis64.0 yearsdirect2019-2023
median age at death71 yearsdirect2020-2024
Five-year relative survival80.9%direct2016-2022

Years of life lost

2.8 years per case, 187,770 a year, from survival and age at diagnosis rather than from a death count. derived proxy What this costs to fund is in Funding.

3 assumptions behind this estimate
  • Five-year relative survival stands in for cure; a death after five years is not counted.
  • The median age at diagnosis stands in for the whole age distribution.
  • Life expectancy at birth (78.4 years) is the reference, rather than remaining expectancy at the age of death from a life table.
  • Each assumption moves the result by more than the difference between the two diseases currently on this site, so this figure separates a disease from one ten times its size, not from a close neighbour.

Funding

NIH RePORTER · quarterly

NIH obligations naming endometrial cancer, after removing the 2,256 records across all years that matched the search but are about something else. That filter is not cosmetic: without it this section reports another field’s funding as this disease’s.

$29.8MNIH obligations, FY2025from $8.8M in FY2013 · +237%
30distinct projects funded21 in FY2013
$29.8Mpeak year was FY2025obligations, all institutes
89%of FY2025 awards from NCI42 of 47

NIH obligations by fiscal year

$7M$15M$22M$30M13151719212325
YearObligationsAwardsDistinct projectsDropped as off-topic
FY2013$8.8M3121150
FY2014$11.0M3325139
FY2015$6.8M2119132
FY2016$11.7M3223136
FY2017$13.4M3625139
FY2018$12.7M4325198
FY2019$13.0M3325170
FY2020$23.2M3926180
FY2021$9.2M2119192
FY2022$11.6M2725215
FY2023$14.9M2923213
FY2024$21.2M4329201
FY2025$29.8M4730191

Where FY2025 money went

InstitutionObligationsAwards
Washington University$5.0M8
Dana-Farber Cancer Inst$4.5M4
Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill$4.3M8
University Of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr$4.0M3
Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences$1.4M2
National Human Genome Research Institute$1.4M0
University Of Texas Hlth Science Center$1.1M2
University Of Missouri-Columbia$1.0M2
Brigham And Women'S Hospital$0.8M0
Ohio State University$0.7M2

Text search endometrial cancer over project title, terms and abstract, per fiscal year. Awards are individual funding actions; distinct projects collapse them by core project number, so a multi-year grant counts once. The most recent year may be incomplete. Source: NIH RePORTER, retrieved 2026-09-12.

What that buys

Against 187,770 years of life lost a year, FY2025 obligations are $159 per life-year — $436 per case. The estimate and its assumptions are in Disease burden.

Who funds it, FY2025

The total says how much. These say who from, through what kind of award, and to whom — which a dollar figure cannot.

NIH institutes

NCI42 · 89%
NICHD3 · 6%
NHGRI1 · 2%
NIMHD1 · 2%

Projects by administering institute. The rows above are the top 4 and account for 47 of 47.

Award mechanisms

P508 · 17%
R018 · 17%
P017 · 15%
U546 · 13%
R374 · 9%
U013 · 6%

R01 is an investigator-initiated grant; ZIA is NIH intramural, meaning the work happens inside NIH rather than being funded outside it. The rows above are the top 15 and account for 47 of 47.

Where it lands

Washington University$5.0M · 16.9%
Dana-Farber Cancer Inst$4.5M · 15.1%
Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill$4.3M · 14.4%
University Of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr$4.0M · 13.3%
Henry Ford Health + Michigan State Unive$1.4M · 4.8%
National Human Genome Research Institute$1.4M · 4.7%

Share of $29.8M in FY2025. The top three hold 46%.

Public datasets, ranked

NCBI GEO + Europe PMC + iCite · weekly

437 human GEO series match endometrial cancer. Keyword relevance cannot tell a 189-sample patient cohort from a six-well cell-line experiment, so this ranking scores four things GEO does not expose: how often the accession is named in full-text papers, field-normalised citation impact, clinical annotation, and cohort type.

Composition of the 168-study ranked set

unspecified 70patient 50cell line 34mixed 13xenograft 1
70 unspecified50 patient34 cell line13 mixed1 xenograft63 carry clinical annotation45 carry survival6 patient cohorts ≥100 GEO samples4,941 GEO samples totalin 6 single-cell series a GEO sample is one cell, not one patient

Established

high reuse, older
AccessionStudySamplesMentionsEurope PMCRCREvidence
GSE14860Integrated genomic profiling of endometrial carcinoma2009 · array29175.3
mixedAPT 0.95survivalstagemolecularPIK3CAPTEN239 cites
GSE17025Gene Expression Analysis of Stage I Endometrial Cancers2011 · array1032081.6
APT 0.5stage72 cites
GSE63678Expression data from Vulvar, Cervical, Endometrial Carcinoma tissue2015 · array351181.7
APT 0.555 cites
GSE93911Aberrant mRNA m6A methylation promotes the progression of endometrial cancer by altering Akt activity2018 · sequencing32621.4
cell lineAPT 0.75657 cites
GSE67116Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of hyperplasias, primary endometrial cancer and metastases2015 · methylation9674.9
cell lineAPT 0.95167 cites
GSE115810Expression profiling of endometrial cancer of different grades2018 · array27421.4
APT 0.25stage32 cites
GSE56026Gene expression in human endometrial cancer tissues and serous papillary endometrial cancer cell line, SPAC-1L, treated by STAT1-siRNA and/or IFN-gamma2014 · array7561.8
mixedAPT 0.25survivalstage69 cites
GSE146889RNA-seq Reveals Differences in Expressed Tumor Mutation Burden in Colorectal and Endometrial Cancer With and Without Defective DNA Mismatch Repair2020 · sequencing17617
patient cohortmolecularMLH1

Recent

2022 onward, by score
AccessionStudySamplesMentionsEurope PMCRCREvidence
GSE212217Distinct Mechanisms of Mismatch-Repair Deficiency Delineate Two Modes of Response to Anti–PD-1 Immunotherapy in Endometrial Carcinoma2022 · single-cell10454.4
patient cohortAPT 0.95survivalmolecularPD-1PEMBROLIZUMAB66 cites
GSE268903Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade in women with mismatch repair deficient endometrial cancer: a phase I study2024 · sequencing1013.0
patient cohortAPT 0.75survivalstagemolecularPEMBROLIZUMAB29 cites
GSE225691Netrin-1 blockade induces tumor growth inhibition and EMT reversion in endometrial cancer.2023 · sequencing36511.0
APT 0.75140 cites
GSE193430The clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis and immune microenvironment mapping in MSI-H/MMR-D endometrial carcinomas2022 · single-cell131.5
patient cohortAPT 0.5survivalstagemolecularPD-1POLE22 cites
GSE251923Integrated single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics analysis reveals the tumor microenvironment in patients with endometrial cancer responding to anti-PD-1 treatment2023 · single-cell471.5
patient cohortAPT 0.5molecularPD-113 cites
GSE205209PLK3 amplification and tumor immune microenvironment of metastatic tumors are linked to adjuvant treatment outcomes in uterine serous cancer2022 · array6030.3
patient cohortAPT 0.25survivalstagemolecularTP535 cites

Sources: NCBI GEO + Europe PMC + iCite, retrieved 2026-09-12. SubSeries are collapsed to one row per study by linked PMID. Of 437 series retrieved, 62 were dropped by the profile’s exclusion rules and 163 named the disease only in passing. The ranked set is a relevance-ranked sample, not a census, so the composition figures describe the sample only.

Where the gaps are

Derived from the sections above · recomputed on every refresh

Each card below is a disagreement between two of the tables on this page — a drug that exists but was never tried here, a target that looks tested and was not, a gene with no drug whose product has a busy clinical programme. They are computed from the same facts as the tables, so they cannot contradict them.

PTEN

No drug, no trial, no clinical programme of any kind. Whatever the biology says, nothing has been built.

MLH1

No drug, no trial, no clinical programme of any kind. Whatever the biology says, nothing has been built.

MSH2

No drug, no trial, no clinical programme of any kind. Whatever the biology says, nothing has been built.

MSH6

No drug, no trial, no clinical programme of any kind. Whatever the biology says, nothing has been built.

ARID1A

No drug, no trial, no clinical programme of any kind. Whatever the biology says, nothing has been built.

How a machine reads this page

Static

This page is written to be quoted correctly by a model as much as read by a person. The same facts are available as JSON at the sibling URL below, which is what to cite.

Fully server-rendered

Every figure is in the HTML at first byte. No JavaScript runs, no figure is fetched after load, and nothing on this page requires a renderer to see.

Every number carries a source

Each section names the API it came from and the date it was retrieved: Open Targets (2026-09-12), ClinicalTrials.gov (2026-09-12), openFDA (2026-09-12), NCBI GEO (2026-09-12), PubMed (2026-09-12), NIH RePORTER (2026-09-12).

Negatives stated explicitly

Where nothing exists for endometrial cancer — no drug, no trial, no approval — the page says so in those words rather than omitting the row. An absent row is unquotable; a stated negative is the finding.

Denominators, not just percentages

Every share is printed with the count and the total it came from, so a figure can be checked rather than taken.

The filters are published

3 exclusion patterns are applied to free text before anything is ranked, because HEC-1A, AN3CA is used as a model system in endometrial receptivity and implantation biology, where the tumour lines stand in for endometrium. What was removed and why is stated in each section rather than silently applied.

{
  "disease": "Endometrial cancer",
  "mesh": "Endometrial Neoplasms",
  "facts": "https://usebiotransfer.org/disease/endometrial-cancer.json",
  "methods": "https://usebiotransfer.org/methods/",
  "note": "Every figure on the page is in that JSON with its source and retrieval date. Quote from it rather than from the HTML."
}