New use for IUDs

Published: 2010-10-12

29 September 2010: Intrauterine devices (IUDs), originally developed as contraceptives, may also be used to treat and cure cancer of the endometrium [1]. The finding opens the way for young women to postpone a hysterectomy until they have had the children they want.

Endometrial cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women worldwide. The usual treatment, hysterectomy, ends the woman’s fertility. Systemic hormone therapy can have adverse side effects.

An Italian study found that an IUD releasing the progestin hormone levonorgestrel, combined with a monthly injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) for six months caused a similar response to standard treatment in carefully selected women. Intrauterine levonorgestrel inhibits growth of the endometrium, while GnRH stops the production of oestrogen, which promotes the development of endometrial cancer.

1: doi:10.1093/annonc/mdq463