The Carolina Endometrial Cancer Study (CECS) seeks to address two major disparities in the treatment of endometrial cancer.

1. Endometrial cancer harbors one of the largest racial disparities among cancers in the United States. While endometrial cancer is slightly more prevalent white women, Black women are more likely to die from it.
2. While endometrial cancer is the 4th most common cancer in American women (and 9th most common overall), endometrial cancer is greatly understudied. In 2017, all uterine cancers combined ranked just 18th in federal funding.

The reasons for the outcomes disparity remain unclear. A lack of access to care, a higher likelihood of cancer with worse histologic and molecular features, the greater prevalence of health conditions in Black women, or a combination of these and other factors may all be part of the answer.

And while one study alone cannot change the how research into endometrial cancer gets funded, foundational research of the type being conducted in the Carolina Endometrial Cancer Study will provide vital knowledge of the sort that in the past has attracted the attention of other researchers and the public.

The Carolina Endometrial Cancer Study explores survivorship after endometrial cancer and why some people have different outcomes and experiences. Our goal is to understand more about factors that contribute to poorer outcomes among adults with endometrial cancer, including tumor recurrence, survival, and quality of life changes. Our team will investigate factors such as tumor biology, lifestyle and behaviors, socioeconomic backgrounds, and barriers to care. We will examine these factors in a diverse cohort of adults diagnosed with endometrial cancer across North Carolina.

The study is conducted by the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and is also affiliated with the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is funded by the University Cancer Research Fund of North Carolina and the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.