ENDO-3 Trial

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer. Current treatment of endometrial cancer typically includes removal of the uterus and to determine the extent of the disease (removal of fallopian tubes, ovaries & if required a lymph node dissection (surgical staging)).

The ENDO-3 trial is a big step towards generating evidence in surgical treatment of endometrial cancer.

While lymph node dissection may be valuable to guide the need for adjuvant treatment (chemo or radiotherapy) after surgery, it has been a topic of controversy for the last 30 years. In some patients it causes morbidity, specifically lymphoedema. This recently has been replaced with sentinel node biopsy (SNB). It requires an injection of a dye into the cervix with specific equipment & surgical dissection of the lymph node in which the dye first becomes visible. Despite this promising proposition & similar to a lymph node dissection, the value to patients, cost effectiveness & potential harms (e.g. lymphedema) of SNB compared to no-node dissection in endometrial cancer has never been established. The outcomes from this world-first Phase III Randomised Clinical Trial will provide high-level evidence on sentinel lymph node dissection’s effectiveness, benefit and harm to patients and will determine the value of retaining or discontinuing this procedure in the treatment of apparent early stage endometrial cancer.

Trial Sites

Recruitment

The ENDO-3 trial opened for recruitment in January 2021.

The study aims to recruit 760 participants from national and international sites. 307 participants have been enrolled to date.

Accredited Surgeons

To ensure robust methods with integrated surgical quality assurance, the ENDO-3 participating surgeons must pass a formal accreditation process. 34 surgeons, both nationally and internationally, have successfully passed accreditation in Sentinel Node Biopsy (SNB) as part of the ENDO-3 Trial, with more surgeons currently undergoing the process!

Dr Guilherme Accorsi, Dr Michael Burling, Dr Nimithri Cabraal, Dr Naven Chetty, Dr Julian Diguili, A/Prof Rhonda Farrell, Dr Andrea Garrett, Dr Nisha Jagasia, Dr Nicole Krzys, A/Prof Russell Land, Dr Jeffery Low, Dr Renato Moretti Marques, Dr Jagannath Mishra, Dr Shaun McGrath, A/Prof Orla McNally, Dr Rhett Morton, Dr Deborah Neesham, Dr Joseph Ng, Prof James Nicklin, Prof Andreas Obermair, Dr Diego Odetto, Dr Adam Pendlebury, Prof Pedro Ramirez, Dr Gabriel Rendon, Dr Stefano Restaino, Dr Piksi Singh, Dr Anju Suri, Dr Pearl Tong, Dr David Viveros, A/Prof Giuseppe Vizzielli, Dr Simon West, Dr Jeslyn Wong, Dr Tarrik Zaid & A/Prof Behrouz Zand.

Publications and Resources

A phase III randomized clinical trial comparing sentinel node biopsy with no retroperitoneal node dissection in apparent early-stage endometrial cancer – ENDO-3: ANZGOG trial 1911/2020 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1136/ijgc-2021-003029

QCGC Reserach ran a masterclass in Sentinel Node Biopsy for Endometrial Cancer. Watch here.