Weight control is vital for patients with early-stage endometrial cancer or complex atypical hyperplasia who have received progestin therapy to spare fertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aimed to identify potential prognostic factors for patients with complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH) or early-stage endometrial cancer (EC) who received progestin therapy to spare fertility and, thus, improve the management of this patient group. The PubMed, PMC, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched for correlational studies published in English. Studies that evaluated the prognosis of patients with CAH or early-stage EC were pooled for a systematic review and meta-analysis. In total, 31 eligible studies, including 8 prospective and 23 retrospective studies involving 1099 patients, were included in this analysis. The most commonly used progestin agents were medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 47.0%) and megestrol acetate (MA, 25.5%). The total complete response (CR) rate was 75.8% (833/1099), and the median time to CR with first-line progestin therapy was 6 months. In total, 294 (26.8%) patients who achieved CR became pregnant spontaneously (28 cases) or through assisted reproductive technology (127 cases). During the median follow-up of 39 months, 245 (22.3%) women developed recurrence. Only one patient (0.09%) died of the disease. The meta-analysis showed that compared to a BMI<25 kg/m and CAH, a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m (=0.0004, odds ratios (OR), 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-0.6) and EC (=0.0000, OR, 0.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.6) were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of a CR. Patients with a BMI≥25 kg/m (=0.0007, OR, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-4.3), PCOS (=0.0006, OR, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-7.9), and EC (=0.0344, OR, 2.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-5.3) had a significantly higher risk of recurrence. In general, patients with CAH or early-stage EC who were treated with progesterone therapy had a favorable prognosis. However, the recurrence risk was not insignificant. Weight control is crucial for improving the clinical management of this patient group.