Current management practices for endometrial cancer (EC) in the UK: a national healthcare professional survey (KNOW-EC)

The clinical landscape for endometrial cancer in the UK is evolving to include new management guidelines and targeted treatment options. An understanding of current treatment and management practices in the UK will help services plan and adapt to upcoming changes. The purpose of this survey was to understand current and anticipated real-world practices for endometrial cancer care in the UK and potential areas for optimisation. Telephone interviews were conducted in November/December 2021 with UK-based healthcare professionals involved in endometrial cancer management. Questions were aligned with the British Gynaecological Cancer Society/European Society for Medical Oncology recommendations, covering the pathway from diagnosis and treatment to follow up. A total of 63 HCPs involved in the management of patients with endometrial cancer participated in telephone interviews. The results highlighted variations in management and treatment practices for endometrial cancer and suggest that current UK practice appears to diverge from national and international guidance in some instances. While somatic MMR deficiency testing was used by 89.7% of respondents as mainstream testing, the survey highlighted a lack of access to other key molecular biomarkers tests, such as POLE sequencing (used by only 9.8% of HCPs at the time of the survey). The results highlighted several perceived practical barriers to the swift adoption of new therapeutic options, including funding access, limited staff, treatment-related resources, staff education and support. Our findings support the need for better access to biomarkers that could enable more effective and targeted treatments.