Dr Úna McMenamin from the Centre for Public Health, received an award of over £883,000 to develop one of the first population-based registers for the precursor condition of the most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer. The research will use routinely collected health records to improve diagnostics and treatment while leading to improved clinical guidelines on a global scale.

_{Dr Úna McMenamin}

Endometrial cancer, also referred to as womb cancer, is the most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer in the UK and is rapidly rising in incidence, especially in younger women. There is no routine screening for endometrial cancer and primary treatment involves a hysterectomy, meaning a woman is forced to lose her fertility if treatment is required. Endometrial hyperplasia is a recognised precursor, which if detected, can help to prevent the disease progressing to endometrial cancer.

Dr. McMenamin, whose research will provide the first population-based endometrial hyperplasia register in Europe, explains: “The current lack of data and information around this common cancer is alarming. I am delighted to have the opportunity to address this through establishing a register in Northern Ireland that will enable novel data linkages to important clinical datasets allowing us to identify the women most at risk of progression to endometrial cancer. The register will be facilitated by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, which is funded by the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency.

“This research programme will generate robust population-level evidence to inform diagnostic, treatment and surveillance guidelines for women with endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer and will ultimately lead to better informed clinical decision-making between women and their health care professionals.”