The EDEN Initiative, a cooperative research program spearheaded by ANZGOG, is a pivotal project aimed at bridging the gap in endometrial cancer research. It is specifically geared towards supporting endometrial cancer patients in Australia and New Zealand.
Watch Professor Linda Mileshkin, Chair of the EDEN Initiative & Medical Oncologist speak about the program:
Understanding endometrial cancer
Endometrial cancer, a type of uterine cancer, is the leading gynaecological cancer in Australia, with its incidence also on the rise globally. Over the past decade, Australia has seen a significant 40% surge in endometrial cancer diagnoses. Despite endometrial cancer being our most common gynaecological cancer, it is under-researched and under-funded.
While many patients with endometrial cancer have a good chance of survival, certain considerations such as lifestyle factors, late diagnosis, and preserving fertility in younger women, along with the sharp rise in diagnosis, exacerbate the overall impact of the disease.
Objectives of the EDEN Initiative
The EDEN Initiative is an integral step towards curbing the endometrial cancer trend and enhancing patient care through innovative research. The lack of a national organisation exclusively dedicated to endometrial cancer makes EDEN's role even more crucial in fostering cooperative efforts to tackle this challenge.
The EDEN Initiative aims to enhance patient survival rates, better their quality of life, and foster a culture of shared research across key domains: prevention, risk assessment, early diagnosis, surgical innovations, adjuvant and recurrent treatments, survivorship, translational research, and advocacy and funding.
There's no other national group that's only focused on endometrial cancer. Through ANZGOG, EDEN is bringing together more than 60 members from Australia and New Zealand, from a range of backgrounds and experiences. This not only includes oncologists, but also nurses, lab-based researchers, behavioural scientists, exercise physiologists, nutritionists, and those with a lived experience of endometrial cancer.
EDEN's goal is to help women live longer, make their lives better, and work together on research in five important areas: stopping the cancer before it starts, figuring out who's at risk, finding the cancer early, improving surgery, and coming up with better treatments for cancer that comes back.
Why the EDEN Initiative matters
The EDEN Initiative has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of endometrial cancer patients and their loved ones. With the escalating prevalence of endometrial cancer, it is more important than ever to foster a culture of collaborative research for the betterment of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship of this disease.
Register for WomenCan's Free Webinar on endometrial cancer
Want to learn more about uterine (endometrial) cancer?
Register for Expert Lunch and Learn webinar: A free webinar on uterine cancer presented by ANZGOG member, Medical Oncologist, Associate Professor Yoland Antill.
