Increasing Endometrial Cancer Awareness & Cure for Louisiana Women

Lead Institution:

Dr. Vance Albaugh, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Metamor Institute

Additional Partners:

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Woman's Hospital, LSU Health Science Center New Orleans

Launchpad Award Date:

May 2022

“Increasing Endometrial Cancer Awareness & Cure for Louisiana Women” seeks to detect early-stage endometrial cancer in obese women. Women with obesity have an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer and when identified early this form of cancer can be treated and cured without hysterectomy or other invasive treatments.

Led by Pennington Biomedical Research Center and in partnership with Woman’s Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, and LSU Health Science Center New Orleans, this team integrates a validated endometrial cancer screening tool into the preoperative evaluation for bariatric patients. Women with a positive screening receive a one-on-one follow up to coordinate an expedited gynecologic visit with their provider. Patients without an established gynecologist are referred and scheduled for follow-up. All patients with a positive screening test also receive an educational video that provides education on cancer risk, specifically endometrial cancer, and obesity. This pilot project has screened just under 2,000 women to date and identified 54% of those screened as high risk and requiring further care and consultation with a gynecologist. Learn more about this successful Launchpad Pilot Project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-6bL9Kjoso