Uterine serous carcinoma, a rare form of endometrial cancer, is more aggressive amongst Black patients, according to a new study.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study involved Northwestern Medicine researchers analyzing the USC tumors of approximately nine Black patients and four white patients. Through RNA sequencing, the process of analyzing which genes are present in a single cell, study leaders looked for differences and mutations in tumors.
In their findings, they reported that the tumors found in Black participants were associated with more aggressive genes such as PAX8.
PAX8 has been associated with a lower overall survival rate, as the gene affects white blood cells such as macrophages. The presence of PAX8 stifles anti-tumor immune responses, affecting the body’s ability to fight back against tumors.
Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered that #uterine #serous #carcinoma #tumors in Black patients express more aggressive and immunosuppressive features than tumors in white patients, per @PNASNews.https://t.co/EGQuB958yY
— Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine (@NUFeinbergMed) August 15, 2024
“There is indeed a racial disparity in endometrial cancer, in that Black women with this cancer suffer from higher mortality rates,” said senior author Julie Kim, PhD per a press release. “It’ll be important to test what we found in a larger cohort to make sure that this is indeed something that is fundamentally different between Black and white women. We want to gather more data so that we can be confident in potentially testing compounds in preclinical studies before going towards clinical trials.”
Uterine serous carcinoma, often diagnosed at an average age of 63, is a rare form of endometrial cancer that affects 10% of all patients diagnosed with cancer in the uterus.
Although symptoms, such as abnormal bleeding, abnormal discharge and endometrial cells present in a Pap test, can help with diagnoses, according to the Foundation for Women’s Cancer, this specific type of endometrial cancer has no effective screening at the moment.
Overall, endometrial cancer has been linked with Black women at higher rates than any other groups. Per the New York Presbyterian Hospital, they are over two times more likely to pass away once diagnosed. Previous research has found that Black women have more than a 90% higher mortality rate when compared to white women in particular.
With their latest study, Northwestern Medicine researchers will be looking to address this higher rate amongst Black women by studying which medication can help those with tumors that have the PAX8 gene.
“It’ll be important to test what we found in a larger cohort to make sure that this is indeed something that is fundamentally different between Black and white women,” said Kim. “We want to gather more data so that we can be confident in potentially testing compounds in preclinical studies before going towards clinical trials.”
