Hong Kong oncologists on Thursday urged raising public awareness of endometrial cancer, a prevalent yet often overlooked gynecological malignancy, as an anti-cancer group expands patient-targeted subsidies for early prevention.

The Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting cancer-related knowledge and providing financial support for patients, on Thursday announced that it has expanded its support to subsidize immunotherapy for patients with endometrial cancer, thereby encouraging earlier intervention.

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According to the latest data from the Hospital Authority’s Hong Kong Cancer Registry, issued in 2022, incidences of uterine cancer remained top of the list for gynecological cancers that year, with 1,188 cases diagnosed locally. Over 90 percent of uterine cancer arises from the endometrium, and is known as endometrial cancer.

Despite the high incidence of this type of malignancy, public awareness of endometrial cancer remains limited, and early symptoms — such as abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge — are often mistaken for menstrual irregularities, leading to delayed diagnosis, Rebecca Yeung Mei-wan, Chair of the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society’s Betterment Fund Committee, said at a news conference on Thursday.

Endometrial cancer predominantly affects women aged between 45 and 54, Yeung said.

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“Yet many dismiss symptoms like prolonged bleeding or post-menopausal spotting, only seeking help when advanced signs like pelvic pain or abnormal bowel habits appear, while late-stage diagnoses limit treatment options and survival rates,” Yeung added.

Traditionally, late-stage patients rely on chemotherapy, but approximately 30 percent of them carry mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) — a genetic mutation impairing DNA repair — and now qualify for a new form of treatment: immunotherapy.

Many patients remain unaware of the treatment options, Yeung said.

Yeung cited international studies showing that combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy reduces the risk of disease progression or mortality by 72 percent, and patients who receive the combination therapy exhibit a 24-month progression-free survival rate of up to 61.4 percent — nearly four times the rate observed in patients who receive chemotherapy alone.

As immunotherapy drugs must be purchased at the patients’ expense, the society has decided to expand its Professor H.C. Ho Memorial Medical Assistance Programme to cover dMMR endometrial cancer cases in order to relieve the financial pressure on those suffering from this condition.

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Eligible patients must first obtain a referral from a relevant oncologist at one of the seven designated public hospitals, then hospital medical social workers will assess their income level and submit qualified applications to the organization for final review.

Yeung advises women to follow a balanced diet, exercise regularly and manage their weight to lower the risk of developing endometrial cancer.

She also advises women who have not menstruated for a long time to seek medical advice, as they are more prone to endometrial thickening, which increases the risk of developing endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com