Tag Archive for: Dr. Emily Hinchcliff

Expert Perspective | Managing the Emotional Aspects of a Gynecologic Cancer Diagnosis

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What emotional support and resource are available for gynecologic cancer patients? Dr. Hinchcliff discusses leveraging personal networks and highlights key resources like the Society for Gynecologic Oncology and ASCO.

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

See More from Evolve Endometrial Cancer
 

Related Programs:

Current Endometrial Cancer Treatment Approaches

Current Endometrial Cancer Treatment Approaches

 Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

 Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:  

How do you counsel patients who might be having emotions around their gynecologic cancer? What advice and resources are available?  

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yeah. So, I think that a cancer diagnosis is a life-changing experience. Even for patients who have early-stage cancers, hearing that word “cancer” on the phone, in the doctor’s office, and having to be the one to then tell family members and understand what that means for their life is truly a pivotal moment, and it does bring up all sorts of emotions and need for support. 

So, what I would say is, first and foremost, it can be really common that cancer patients sort of retreat into themselves and want to be more private. I think that I would encourage people to really use their support network that they have. Everyone’s different, and so, I definitely want them to do what feels right for them, but making sure that you leverage whatever support networks you have in your life is sort of the first foundation.  

Second, I think that there are just so many excellent resources out there for patients facing a cancer diagnosis. Certainly, in endometrial cancer, there are our big national groups of physicians. We put out a ton of information that is patient-focused, so, that is at a level that patients can understand.  

The two that I think of are the Society for Gynecologic Oncology is a big resource for patients with gynecologic cancers, and then, the overarching cancer society ASCO is another place that has a ton of cancer resources. I also think that patient support groups can be really helpful. There are many, many – so, my institution has one that is more specific to our institution as part of our institutional branch of the Woman to Woman program. 

There are also national, or city, or state cancer support groups, and I think that those can be really helpful to gain mentorship from someone who’s been through it and from someone who is a little bit further along in their journey than you might be as the patient that’s just getting a diagnosis, for example, and that can be really helpful so that you have that bird’s-eye view that sometimes, right after your own diagnosis, you just don’t have the perspective to understand. 

Expert Perspective | The Value of Empowering Endometrial Cancer Patients and Care Partners

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How can patients feel empowered after an endometrial cancer diagnosis? Dr. Hinchcliff emphasizes seeing a GYN oncologist, asking questions, and bringing a care partner to appointments for support and understanding key decisions.

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

See More from Evolve Endometrial Cancer
 

Related Programs:

What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing?

What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing?

 Questions to Ask About Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials

Questions to Ask About Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials

Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:  

As a provider, Dr. Hinchcliff, how do you empower care partners and patients who have been diagnosed with endometrial cancer? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, I think that one of the most important things about a diagnosis of cancer is to develop the relationship with your physician. I think that it is truly a partnership, and it is an incredibly important thing as you think about the next steps in your treatment. For someone who’s diagnosed with endometrial cancer – or, honestly, cancer in general – making sure that you’re seeing a cancer specialist in obstetrics and gynecology – it can actually be sometimes a little bit difficult. 

You might have gotten your diagnosis with a general OB/GYN, but it’s very important to see a GYN oncologist – a cancer-specific doctor – because we’ve actually shown that patients who see GYN oncologists are more likely to get guideline-appropriate care – so, care within what we think of as the right standard – and then they tend to do better with their cancer. So, that’s kind of the first step, is finding that doctor and developing the relationship with them.  

The second thing that I would say is that you should ask questions. Bringing people to your appointments to have an extra set of ears is always helpful. Taking notes and trying to keep track yourself of what was talked about in your appointment, I always encourage my patients to do, but really, asking questions. So, making sure that you know what those molecular tests are that your doctor is sending, making sure you know, once they’re sent, what your results were and how that might change what your treatment will be. 

Now, you don’t need to go and get a degree in biology or go to medical school. I think that that’s a lot to ask someone going through a cancer journey, but it is really important that you understand where those key decision points might be made because that allows you to feel not only like your own advocate, but that you have some ownership of those decisions and you understand why the decisions are being made in the way that they’re being made. 

Questions to Ask About Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials

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What questions should patients ask about endometrial cancer clinical trials? Dr. Hinchcliff outlines key inquiries regarding trial structure and eligibility and encourages patients to explore online resources and support groups for additional information.

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

See More from Evolve Endometrial Cancer
 

Related Programs:

Current Endometrial Cancer Treatment Approaches
Advances in Endometrial Cancer Treatment and Research
 Where Do Clinical Trials Fit Into an Endometrial Cancer Plan?

Where Do Clinical Trials Fit Into an Endometrial Cancer Plan?

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:  

What questions should endometrial cancer patients ask their doctor about a potential trial? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

I think the two important things to ask are what is the structure, what am I actually going to get, or what could I get, depending on how many of those arms exist on the trial. 

Katherine Banwell:  

Would the doctor know that specific information, though? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

It’s a good question, actually. So, generally speaking, most of us as physicians, in order to offer a trial to you, we have an overarching structure of that clinical trial. There may be some nuances about what the exact enrollment is in terms of the majority of the patients get this treatment, whereas a small minority get this treatment, or because of this patient’s specific mutation profile, they must be enrolled on this subset of the trial. 

So, there are some nuances there that, generally speaking, if I as the physician don’t know, I will contact what’s called my clinical trial coordinator or my research nurse, and they can come spell out some of those nuances, but if your doctor’s recommending a trial to you, they generally know what is the overarching goal, and what is the overarching treatment being tested. 

Katherine Banwell:  

Okay. How can patients learn more about clinical trials? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, there are a lot of resources online. To some extent, it can be really overwhelming for patients to try and tease out am I a candidate, would I be eligible for a trial, or this trial, is this trial available at my institution. So, what I would say – first and foremost, ask your physician. I think that your physician is your advocate in this and your partner in your cancer care, and I think that certainly I and all of us as physicians feel really strongly that we can help you weigh those different options as you see them and as we learn about them.  

So, I think that that’s where I would start. I think there are a lot of online resources. The FDA and the government have a cancer trials website that you can go to and search for your specific cancer type. 

Many institutions – my own included – will have their own institutional trials website, where, on my institution, you can look up and see what trials do we have open on my institution, because obviously, the government will speak nationally, but your particular treating physician might not have the availability to give you that particular trial. And then, I also will say I think patient support groups are an incredible opportunity to understand what others have been going through and what treatments have been offered, and that can be a really helpful resource as well to get hooked into as a patient is trying to tease all this out. 

Where Do Clinical Trials Fit Into an Endometrial Cancer Plan?

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What role do clinical trials play in endometrial cancer treatment plans? Dr. Hinchcliff highlights that clinical trials can be crucial at every stage of the cancer journey, offering access to innovative therapies and alternatives to standard care. 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

 
See More from Evolve Endometrial Cancer
 

Related Programs:

Current Endometrial Cancer Treatment Approaches
Advances in Endometrial Cancer Treatment and Research
 Questions to Ask About Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials

Questions to Ask About Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:  

Dr. Hinchcliff, where do clinical trials fit into a treatment plan for endometrial cancer? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, I think clinical trials are an incredibly valuable part of a patient’s cancer journey. Every institution and every provider is going to have potentially different clinical trials available to the patients in their practice, and so, it’s important to understand what clinical trials might be available to a patient as they both start their cancer journey, but certainly as their cancer progresses or comes back. 

I think that there is – it should be something that is on the back of your mind at all phases of a cancer journey. It may not be right for a patient if they are first diagnosed and have a clear standard-of-care option, but there are certainly clinical trials that add to or investigate what we consider to be the current standard of care to try and move that forward. So, even in that first diagnosis phase, I think it’s worth asking your doctor, “What’s available to me?” 

And then, certainly, when a cancer comes back, especially when a cancer has developed resistance to some of the more standard options that we would use, then I think clinical trials are an incredibly – it’s an incredible opportunity to have access to a toolbox that you would not have access to otherwise. And so, I think that – when I think about clinical trials, I think that they fit into all phases of a cancer journey, but that there are certain times in every individual patient’s journey that I would say this clinical trial might be right for you at this particular time. 

Katherine Banwell: 

What would you say to patients who are hesitant about trial participation? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, I think that that is very common, and what I would say is information is power. I think that if there is a trial that you are eligible for, it’s really important to understand what the actual structure of that trial is and also understand what the phase of that trial is. So, let me explain those two things, because I think they’re a little bit different. 

When I think about a trial structure, I think about what is the trial testing, what is it looking at, and what are the potential arms of therapy. When we say “arms,” that just means what is a patient going to actually receive. And so, some trials, there’s only one option. Anyone who’s enrolled on the trial gets a certain thing. Other trials have some comparison arms. So, some patients that are enrolled get a certain treatment; some patients that are enrolled get a different treatment. 

And so, as you think about the structure, it’s important to know what might I get? Am I always going to get the treatment arm – for example, the drug that’s being investigated – is there a placebo arm – an arm that says I might get something that’s standard, like chemotherapy, but I’m going to get chemotherapy plus a placebo, which means an inactive agent, as compared to chemotherapy plus an inactive drug. 

So, it’s really important to understand the structure of a trial. The second thing that I think is important to understand is the phase. So, clinical trials are grouped into phases. Phase I, Phase II, Phase III are the most common that you’ll hear about, and those are a description of how far along is that particular drug or treatment in development. 

So, Phase I, that treatment is very early. It does not mean that there’s not promising data around it, but it means that that drug doesn’t have data, for example, in lots and lots of patients with your particular cancer type, right? Instead, usually, a Phase I trial is looking at a drug in humans or in a particular group of tumors – or patients with a particular group of tumors – for the first time or early on. 

Phase II trials are looking at that drug maybe a little bit later, after they’ve gotten some good data, or trying to expand a drug that might have been used in a different cancer type to a new cancer type, for example. And then, Phase III is the bigger studies where you’re looking to enroll more patients in a specific cancer type for a specific reason to say, “Okay, we’ve had good evidence that this drug has some amount of efficacy, so now we’re really trying to look to see how does it compare to what we have out there, and could this help us move forward?” 

Advances in Endometrial Cancer Treatment and Research

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What new developments in endometrial cancer treatment should patients know about? Dr. Hinchcliff highlights advancements in immunotherapy for newly diagnosed patients and ongoing clinical trials focusing on molecular pathways and drug combinations for more personalized care. 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

 
See More from Evolve Endometrial Cancer
 

Related Programs:

Current Endometrial Cancer Treatment Approaches
 Where Do Clinical Trials Fit Into an Endometrial Cancer Plan?

Where Do Clinical Trials Fit Into an Endometrial Cancer Plan?

 Questions to Ask About Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials

Questions to Ask About Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:  

Are there endometrial cancer treatment developments that patients should know about? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yes. So, I think within literally the past year/two years, we’ve had some truly groundbreaking work that has changed the way all of us practice in GYN oncology, and that is specifically around this immunotherapy. So, it used to be that we would save immunotherapy for when someone’s cancer had returned. So, they would get their initial, for example, chemotherapy if they needed it, and then, when the cancer came back, that’s when we would start thinking about immunotherapy. 

There are now two big randomized controlled trials, which is sort of our best data, that tells us that adding immunotherapy in the first line, meaning when someone is first diagnosed, if their cancer has spread outside the uterus, that adding immunotherapy at that point can be really helpful for certain patients, and so, I would say that as an avenue of treatment – understanding is immunotherapy right for me, why or why not – is kind of my second takeaway for patients. 

Katherine Banwell:  

You mentioned trials. Are there ongoing trials that are showing promise? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Absolutely. I think it is an incredible time to be a GYN oncologist because the field is advancing so rapidly. 

I think that now, we are really focused on some of these molecular pathways to try and not only understand which patients should we be giving these therapies to, who are they most effective in, which patients can we actually be pulling back, who has a better prognosis, so we may not need to give them the toxicity level that comes with all of the standard chemotherapy options, and then, also, are there drug combinations that may work better for patients, and how do we choose which combination therapies we should use. And so, I think that there are a lot of really exciting clinical trials going on in endometrial cancer right now. 

Katherine Banwell:  

Dr. Hinchcliff, what areas of research are you focused on? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, I have spent a lot of my research time working in immunotherapy. As you can tell, I’m pretty jazzed about it. I think it really has changed the game in terms of cancer care. And so, a lot of my work centers around the use of immunotherapy in gynecologic cancers. 

I also am very interested in looking at how we can better understand a cancer’s response to treatment. As we give treatment, often, endometrial cancer doesn’t have an easy blood test to say, “My cancer’s getting better,” so we kind of have to wait until we get a CT scan, which we usually do three months apart, and so, there are some newer blood tests out there that we’re trying to understand how to use and how to best leverage for our cancer patients, and that allows us to potentially switch treatments sooner if something isn’t working, or choose a better treatment up front, depending on which test we’re looking at. So, that’s really where my research centers. 

Katherine Banwell:  

Is there anything you’d like to add about the evolution of endometrial cancer care? What are you excited about? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

I think I am really excited that our field has made this big switch to focusing on some of these molecular aspects. It has always been so hard to treat all endometrial cancer with one hammer-and-nail-type pairing, and now we’re able to be a little bit more nuanced with our tools, and that’s always a really exciting place to be. I also think that it’s really important to highlight some of the disparities that still exist in endometrial cancer, and honestly in cancer more generally, and I think that we as a field are starting to really highlight that and understand – or at least try to understand – how can we better provide care to every single patient who is diagnosed with an endometrial cancer. 

Current Endometrial Cancer Treatment Approaches

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What are the common treatment approaches for endometrial cancer? Dr. Hinchcliff explains that options typically include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, or a combination.

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

 
See More from Evolve Endometrial Cancer
 

Related Programs:

Where Do Clinical Trials Fit Into an Endometrial Cancer Plan?

Where Do Clinical Trials Fit Into an Endometrial Cancer Plan?

 Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine? 

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:  

Dr. Hinchcliff, what are the common approaches for endometrial cancer? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, endometrial cancer – when I think about any cancer treatment, there are sort of three big buckets of treatment. There’s surgical management, radiation, and then, chemotherapy or some form of systemic treatment, meaning treatment that goes into the vessels, that’s going to spread throughout your body, and endometrial cancer can be treated by, actually, all three of those, or combinations of the three of those, depending on that cancer stage and depending on that cancer subtype. 

And so, what I would say is for endometrial cancer that is confined to the uterus, generally speaking, surgery is your upfront first line of defense, and then, once you understand – after taking that uterus out – what the risk level is, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy after, they may recommend radiation after, and that sort of is dependent on what they see under the microscope. 

But for cancer that’s thought to be confined to the uterus, it’s surgery, and then maybe additional treatment afterwards. For endometrial cancer that has spread outside the uterus already to the lymph nodes, elsewhere in the abdomen, or more distant, then we start to think about that systemic therapy, and that can include chemotherapy, which works by killing rapidly dividing cells, as well as what I mentioned before, which is immunotherapy. 

Immunotherapy is medicine that kind of takes your own immune system and tries to rev up your immune system to better fight the cancer, because the immune system is predisposed to recognizing abnormal things, and cancer is inherently abnormal. But cancer is smart and develops ways to cloak itself, so the immunotherapy takes that cloak off and revs up the immune system to try and get an immune response. 

Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

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What are the common treatment approaches for endometrial cancer? Dr. Hinchcliff explains that options typically include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, or a combination.  

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

Download Resource Guide

See More from INSIST! Endometrial Cancer

Related Resources:

Essential Endometrial Cancer Testing

Essential Endometrial Cancer Testing

 What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing?What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing? Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

Transcript: 

Katherine Banwell:  

How would you define personalized medicine?  

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, personalized medicine I think is a big umbrella term that is sort of a buzzword in cancer right now – in a good way – but I think that it is important to understand how it affects each different cancer type. So, personalized medicine, what we mean as physicians when we say that is we are trying to better tailor treatments to the individual patient and the individual cancer.  

So, whether that is the cancer subtype, treating endometrial cancer with endometrial-cancer-specific drugs rather than drugs that have been used to treat ovarian cancer, and kidney cancer, and prostate cancer, so, using drugs that are potentially really good for your tumor type, but also using medicines that might best treat your individual tumor based on the genetics and the molecular features inside your tumor. 

One of the ways that I’ll explain it to patients is that your tumor is sort of like base camp, and it depends on certain supply chains for oxygen and nutrients to grow, and some supply chains are common to all cancer types, so if we block that supply chain, that drug might work on any different kind of cancer. But some supply chains are really specific to a particular patient and a particular tumor, and so, if we have a drug that blocks that supply chain, it might work in that particular patient, but might not work in a patient that has a very, very similar cancer type, and that’s really where personalized medicine can be a huge win. It allows us to say, “This drug would work really well for you when it might not work really well for the patient next door.”  

Katherine Banwell:  

Yeah. So, I think what used to happen is everyone with a specific cancer was painted with a broad brush. 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Correct. 

Katherine Banwell:  

And now, we’re able to hone in on what might work for one person.  

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yeah. I think that certainly, those broad brushes, they worked for a reason, and they still are in our arsenal and our toolbox, and so, it doesn’t mean those brushes are bad, but it does mean that now, hopefully, we can paint a little bit more within the lines. We can be a little bit more nuanced with our approach. 

Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

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What are endometrial cancer biomarkers? Dr. Hinchcliff discusses how prognostic biomarkers, namely mismatch repair status and HER2, influence treatment, leading to more tailored strategies for patients.  

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

Download Resource Guide

See More from INSIST! Endometrial Cancer

Related Resources:

Essential Endometrial Cancer Testing

Essential Endometrial Cancer Testing

 What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing?What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing? Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Transcript: 

Katherine Banwell: 

Are there prognostic biomarkers that help determine how the cancer may behave? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yeah. So, endometrial cancer, we now know that the molecular mechanism – so, what I’ve been talking about, these things that are happening inside the cancer cell – we now know that that can drive prognosis, and so, it used to be that we kind of had two big buckets of cancer. 

We used to say there’s Type 1 endometrial cancer and Type 2 endometrial cancer, and now, we’ve actually broken it down into molecular categories – so, into categories much more based on certainly what the cell looks like under the microscope, but also what’s going on inside the cell, not only to impact treatment, but also to give a patient a better look at what their prognosis is expected to potentially be, and we actually have changed our staging system pretty recently to incorporate some of those molecular characteristics that we now know to check for.  

Katherine Banwell:  

Talking about the biomarkers, how do biomarkers impact endometrial cancer treatment options? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yeah, so I think specifically the two that I mentioned, the mismatch repair status and the HER2 status, have really robust data that tells us that we can better tailor our treatment strategy based on a patient’s status. So, for mismatch repair, for example, if someone is mismatch repair deficient, that tumor is going to respond very well, incredibly well, to immunotherapy. So, we now actually use immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy to treat those cancers, especially for the cancers that have spread outside the uterus or the cancers that have gone through initial treatment and then come back. 

So, I think that is a really great option. Similarly, that HER2 receptor, there is a medicine that targets that receptor, which is that cell surface molecule, that thing that’s sitting on the cancer surface, and can treat that cancer better if that marker is expressed. 

What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing?

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What questions should patients ask about endometrial cancer testing? Dr. Hinchcliff highlights key questions, while stressing the importance of understanding both germline and somatic tests and their impact on treatment. She emphasizes the value of open, ongoing communication with doctors.  

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

Download Resource Guide

See More from INSIST! Endometrial Cancer

Related Resources:

Essential Endometrial Cancer Testing

Essential Endometrial Cancer Testing

 Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

 Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Transcript: 

Katherine Banwell:  

Right. And so, what questions should patients ask about their test results? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yeah, so, I think first and foremost, just getting an understanding of what tests your doctor is sending is really important. This should be an open conversation, and it’s a conversation that you should actually have as you are going throughout your cancer journey. It’s not just a conversation at your diagnosis, it’s something that, if your cancer comes back, it should be reassessed. Are there additional markers that we should send that we didn’t send in the upfront setting? Do we have a complete picture of my cancer? 

And so, I think that is definitely a question to ask, is what tests are you sending, and what is the outcome of those tests, right? How would that test change your potential management or change the options that you have for me in terms of my cancer treatment? The other thing that I will say that I think can be confusing for patients as we think about the genomics and genetics of a cancer is that it’s really important to understand the difference between something called germline and something called somatic testing, and so, I’m going to explain that, because I think it can be confusing. 

The first, germline, is a test that is testing the genetics of the whole body – so, of a person – to see if there’s anything that’s hereditary that might have predisposed them to getting cancer. And so, that is something that, if it is abnormal, it may mean that family members need to get tested, and there are things that we can do to try and prevent cancers for other people in your family that might be at risk. So, that is germline testing. 

That’s different than somatic testing. Somatic testing is when we test the tumor itself to understand what about this tumor allowed it to become abnormal, allowed it to grow abnormally and keep growing the way cancer does? And both of those are really important. So, I think as you ask your doctor, “What tests are you sending?”, it’s important to ask about tests in both of those categories. 

Essential Endometrial Cancer Testing

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What testing should endometrial cancer patients undergo after diagnosis? Dr. Hinchcliff explains the importance of determining cancer stage, histology, and performing biomarker testing, as these factors can guide more targeted treatments.

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Hinchcliff.

Download Resource Guide

See More from INSIST! Endometrial Cancer

Related Resources:

What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing?What Questions Should Patients Ask About Endometrial Cancer Testing? Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

Endometrial Cancer Biomarkers | Impact on Prognosis and Treatment

 Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Endometrial Cancer | What Is Personalized Medicine?

Transcript: 

Katherine Banwell:   

Dr. Hinchcliff, what testing should people with endometrial cancer undergo after diagnosis? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, when I think about a cancer diagnosis, there are first two big buckets of things that are important to understand. One is the cancer stage, meaning where did the cancer start, and then, where has it potentially spread to. The other is the cancer histology, or what do the cells look like under the microscope. And in endometrial cancer, there are actually a variety of different subtypes of endometrial cancer that can be differentiated based on what they look like under the microscope. Once you have those as your framework, I think the next step is to better understand what’s called biomarker testing, or the genetics of your cancer. 

Katherine Banwell:  

Would you define biomarker testing? What does that mean? 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yeah. So, biomarker testing – while, under the microscope, we can determine what kind of cancer something is, we can’t tell what’s going on inside the cancer cells itself, and so, biomarker testing is an umbrella term for a variety of different tests that really try and assess what’s going on inside the cancer, what are the genetics making the cancer cells divide and grow abnormally, and also, what are the things that might be expressed or on the cancer cell surface that are potentially targets for us to leverage to treat the cancer better. So, what is unique to that cancer, either the patient’s own cancer individually or that cancer type in general, that we can use to our benefit to treat the cancer better.  

Katherine Banwell:  

What are the most common biomarkers associated with gynecologic cancers?  

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So, in endometrial cancer specifically, I think if there are a couple take-homes that I can emphasize to patients in this talk today, the first is it is essential to know your what’s called mismatch repair status. So, mismatch repair is one of the things that can happen inside a cancer cell, and when that goes awry, when that becomes abnormal, it means that the cancer has particular features that we can use to treat it better. 

And so, the two categories of mismatch repair are you can be mismatch repair deficient, meaning there’s something abnormal in that machinery inside the cancer cell, or mismatch repair proficient, meaning that that machinery is still intact, and the reason for that being so important is that in endometrial cancer, if someone’s cancer is mismatch repair deficient, we can use a whole class of drugs called immunotherapy, or leveraging your own immune system using medicines to try and treat that cancer better. 

So, I think knowing that about your cancer type is really essential in endometrial cancer. I think the other thing that is important to know is in endometrial cancer, some subsets will express a receptor – so basically, something on the cancer surface – called HER2, and if you are HER2-positive, that also can be a target for potential drugs. So, those are two really important biomarkers in endometrial cancer that I think it’s important that patients know that they have been tested, and then know what their results are. 

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?

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Dr. Emily Hinchcliff: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can patients be empowered? Gynecological oncologist  Dr. Emily Hinchcliff from Northwestern Medicine shares the approaches she uses in her practice to help empower patients in their journey through care.

See More from Empowering Providers to Empower Patients (EPEP)

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Charise Gleason: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?

 Dr. Craig Cole: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?

Dr. Craig Cole: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?

Transcript:

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So I empower my patients through education. I think that we as physicians, as providers, serve a really key role for patients in terms of serving as medical translators, in terms of helping our patients to ensure they understand the diagnoses that are facing them and their treatment options kind of for what the next steps in their care are.

So as a GYN oncologist, I really kind of weave that through my entire practice and every step of the way, I have the great privilege of caring for my patients from their diagnosis throughout their cancer journey. And so every step of the way, ensuring that they are educated about their disease and educated about their options, I think really allows us to build a powerful partnership and gives them the kind of ownership over their own cancer care.

Overcoming Barriers: Empowering Underrepresented Groups With Endometrial Cancer

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Overcoming Barriers: Empowering Underrepresented Groups with Endometrial Cancer from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 How can endometrial cancer care barriers be overcome for underrepresented groups? Expert Dr. Emily Hinchcliff from Northwestern Medicine discusses racial and cultural barriers and advice to patients to be proactive toward receiving optimal care.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…know the genetic status of your tumor, specifically something called the mismatch repair status of your tumor. And then not only how does that status impact your own treatment, but also how that may impact your family members…understand what resources are out there for you as a patient, especially for women in underserved groups and minority populations.”

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See More from [ACT]IVATED Endometrial Cancer

Related Resources:

Overcoming Geographical Barriers in Endometrial Cancer Care

Overcoming Geographical Barriers in Endometrial Cancer Care

 Innovative Approaches to Endometrial Cancer Care in Underrepresented Communities

Innovative Approaches to Endometrial Cancer Care in Underrepresented Communities

 Endometrial Cancer Care Disparities | The Impact of Rural Residence

Endometrial Cancer Care Disparities: The Impact of Rural Residence

Transcript:

Lisa:

Dr. Hinchcliff, in your research, you dive deeply into the significant disparities that exist within medically underserved and minority populations in the U.S. when it comes to awareness of, access to, and the use of genetic services in endometrial cancer. Can you speak to the research and provide tips to these patients and families?

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff: 

Yeah, so I think that there are sort of two different pieces that go on here. First is the relationship of endometrial cancer, that some of it can be, I guess, at random, and some of it can be genetic. So understanding, especially for those who have a strong family history, that there are hereditary forms of endometrial cancer. I think that’s a really important point for patients to take away. And then we, as a society, as a field, now recommend kind of routine screening for those tests to determine, Is an endometrial cancer hereditary or not? So make sure that you, as a patient, know your results and know if your family members should be tested in any way.

The second is regarding the significant disparities that exist. We know, as a field, as a kind of medical subspecialty, that there is a racial disparity in endometrial cancer mortality. While there is a lot of research going on to address the kind of potential biologic component there, is there something different about the cancers that are developed in different racial groups? I think there’s also really important research going on about the kind of systemic and cultural barriers and differences that women of different races experience that also can dramatically impact their cancer care.

Lisa:

And do you have an activation tip for this question?

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

I’ll give you two different activation tips. I think that the first is to know the genetic status of your tumor, specifically something called the mismatch repair status of your tumor. And then not only how does that status impact your own treatment, but also how that may impact your family members. And then I think the second is to understand what resources are out there for you as a patient, especially for women in underserved groups and minority populations. Simply obtaining support can often be a really important key first step to gaining access and understanding of your disease.

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Innovative Approaches to Endometrial Cancer Care in Underrepresented Communities

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Innovative Approaches to Endometrial Cancer Care in Underrepresented Communities from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can endometrial cancer care use innovative approaches in underrepresented communities? Expert Dr. Emily Hinchcliff from Northwestern Medicine discusses diagnostic testing tools and support in navigating clinical trials.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“… doing your own research and your own reading is really important, being your own advocate. But I think that your physician can serve as an excellent, almost medical translator to understand what is right for you and which of the many, many novel things that we are discovering every day is applicable to you and which might be good for you and which don’t actually apply or which are not potentially your best option in that side.”

Download Guide | Descargar Guía en Español

See More from [ACT]IVATED Endometrial Cancer

Related Resources:

Overcoming Geographical Barriers in Endometrial Cancer Care

Overcoming Geographical Barriers in Endometrial Cancer Care

 Overcoming Barriers: Empowering Underrepresented Groups With Endometrial Cancer

Overcoming Barriers: Empowering Underrepresented Groups With Endometrial Cancer

 Endometrial Cancer Care Disparities | The Impact of Rural Residence

Endometrial Cancer Care Disparities: The Impact of Rural Residence

Transcript:

Lisa:

Dr. Hinchcliff, are there any innovative approaches or technologies that you and your team are exploring to improve endometrial detection, treatment, or support services, especially for your underrepresented communities with limited access to healthcare resources?

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yeah, so there are many, many different things that we’re doing here that we’re very excited about. I think I’ll probably highlight two. So one of the ones that I have been working on closely is there is an ever-increasing number of diagnostic testing tools that we have within our kind of armamentarium. And so one particular test that patients may have read about or heard about is something called circulating tumor DNA. And this is a pretty novel test that I will be completely open and honest that we don’t totally know how to use or how to incorporate in our cancer surveillance, meaning so once someone is diagnosed,  is this a test that can help us to watch to see if treatments are working or watch to see if a cancer may have come back? Similarly, can it be used as a screening tool? We just don’t know that, and so that’s an area that I am actively working in.

The other thing that one of my colleagues here is working on is trying to really create access for women who have limited access to healthcare. So we have developed a clinical trial platform to allow the women, specifically of Chicago, to better understand their options for clinical trials across the institutions in Chicago. So we have at Northwestern multiple cutting-edge endometrial cancer trials trying to bring these novel therapeutics to the forefront and to patients and also to thoughtfully triage patients to kind of treatments that we think are going to maximize their effectiveness and minimize toxicity.

But similar to us, the other institutions around Chicago have a different panel of clinical trials. And so for patients, it can be really overwhelming to know which trial, which institution, how do I know, how do I access all of that? And so we’re working to create a platform for patients and to have clinical navigators associated to help them to understand their options.

Lisa:

And do you have an activation tip?

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

So I think that when patients are thinking about innovation and how can they make sure that they are at the cutting edge, I think that your physician is really your access point. So obviously, doing your own research and your own reading is really important, being your own advocate. But I think that your physician can serve as an excellent, almost medical translator to understand what is right for you and which of the many, many novel things that we are discovering every day is applicable to you and which might be good for you and which don’t actually apply or which are not potentially your best option in that side.

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Overcoming Geographical Barriers in Endometrial Cancer Care

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Overcoming Geographical Barriers in Endometrial Cancer Care from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can endometrial cancer care barriers be overcome in regards to geographic location? Expert Dr. Emily Hinchcliff from Northwestern Medicine discusses geographic care barriers, solutions, and patient advice to be proactive in their care.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…understanding that post-menopausal bleeding is never normal and that you need to see a physician for that…regarding the fact that accessing care can be, as you mentioned, done in many, many different ways these days. And so understanding what your options are, whether that’s telehealth, whether that’s a consult visit and then receiving the majority of the subsequent care closer to home, you have a lot of options.”

Download Guide | Descargar Guía en Español

See More from [ACT]IVATED Endometrial Cancer

Related Resources:

Which Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials Are Showing Promise

Which Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials Are Showing Promise?

 Understanding Endometrial Cancer Risk: Factors Influencing Incidence and Mortality

Understanding Endometrial Cancer Risk: Factors Influencing Incidence and Mortality

 Endometrial Cancer Care Disparities | The Impact of Rural Residence

Endometrial Cancer Care Disparities: The Impact of Rural Residence

Transcript:

Lisa:

If a woman goes in and is diagnosed at her local cancer center and has endometrial cancer, should she see some type of subspecialist, would it be of benefit to that patient maybe to even do a consult, a telemedicine consult at least upon diagnosis? Or how can a person who is more remote geographically access a subspecialist care or expertise?

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff: 

Yeah, absolutely. So I think that telehealth has really changed medicine in general and provides some really great opportunities for access. There is a big kind of dichotomy in endometrial cancer where early stage disease is often caught because it has a symptom, vaginal bleeding is a symptom. And so early stage disease can often be treated with surgery alone.

And so that surgical management, again, can potentially be done by a GYN oncologist at a one single time point. The subsequent care, so I’ll just use myself as an example. I will often see women for sort of that initial visit, treatment decision, sometimes surgery, but then if they need additional adjuvant therapy, such as chemotherapy, they’ll go closer to home to receive some of those therapies. And then I will serve as a bit of a consultant to their providers closer to home to discuss what treatment options, what regimens and how to manage toxicities might be good in their case.

Lisa:

And do you have an activation tip for patients for that question?

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff:  

Yeah, so I think that my activation tip here regarding barriers to endometrial cancer care is first and foremost addressing the knowledge gap, understanding that post-menopausal bleeding is never normal and that you need to see a physician for that, I think is the first key tip. The second tip, I guess, if I could give a second activation tip, is regarding the fact that accessing care can be, as you mentioned, done in many, many different ways these days. And so understanding what your options are, whether that’s telehealth, whether that’s a consult visit and then receiving the majority of the subsequent care closer to home, you have a lot of options. And we as a field in GYN oncology are really collaborative. And I think most of us would feel very positively towards creating a team to help you get the care you need.

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Endometrial Cancer Care Disparities: The Impact of Rural Residence

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Endometrial Cancer Care Disparities: The Impact of Rural Residence from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What kind of care disparities do endometrial cancer patients from rural areas face? Expert Dr. Emily Hinchcliff from Northwestern Medicine shares her perspective on obstacles for patient care in rural areas and patient advice to help ensure optimal care.

Download Guide | Descargar Guía en Español

See More from [ACT]IVATED Endometrial Cancer

Related Resources:

Which Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials Are Showing Promise

Which Endometrial Cancer Clinical Trials Are Showing Promise?

 Understanding Endometrial Cancer Risk: Factors Influencing Incidence and Mortality

Understanding Endometrial Cancer Risk: Factors Influencing Incidence and Mortality

 Overcoming Geographical Barriers in Endometrial Cancer Care

Overcoming Geographical Barriers in Endometrial Cancer Care

Transcript:

Lisa:

Dr. Hinchcliff, can you speak to barriers faced by rural endometrial cancer patients, those living in rural areas, and are there specific challenges that these women in rural areas face in accessing timely and quality healthcare services for endometrial cancer screening and treatment?

Dr. Emily Hinchcliff: 

Absolutely. So, when I think of barriers, I think that barriers can be broken into some really key steps along the kind of diagnosis continuum. So certainly, a patient needs to understand that the symptom that they’re having is a problem. Then they need to see that problem and seek care. Then once they have established care they need to obtain a diagnosis. And then once you have a diagnosis, you need to get treated. And so I would suspect that those living remote from major hospital centers or from subspecialty care probably experience delays at each single one of those time points.

First, I think a knowledge gap probably exists about what bleeding should be, especially for postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal bleeding is not normal. And so even a small episode of spotting should warrant a visit to your physician. And then I think for those who see their physician, who have a less kind of either geographic or less access for whatever reason, there’s probably a greater prolongation of the series of visits that are required before they get the necessary endometrial sampling and a transvaginal ultrasound, which are really core tests when it comes to diagnosis.

Once the diagnosis is obtained, I think that the further referral and potential delay to someone like myself, like a GYN oncologist, is also a key barrier for those who are rural. There’s actually a really good study in gynecologic specifically in the Midwest that showed that rural women were significantly less likely to receive care from a subspecialist like myself.  I think that particular study was in endometrial, sorry in ovarian cancer, but it showed that those who receive care by a specialist are more likely to get optimal surgery and to get guideline-inherent care. So getting yourself to that subspecialist, I think is really key, but can be difficult for women who live remote from subspecialty care.

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