Genetic research at Ohio State could lead to groundbreaking immunotherapy treatments for endometrial cancer patients. Researchers is currently underway that focuses on mismatch repair genes, which help our bodies identify and correct issues with DNA. “If we don't have adequately functioning mismatch repair genes, it means that our DNA makes a lot of mistakes, which can lead to certain types of cancers,” says Casey Cosgrove, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Cosgrove and colleagues began researching mismatch repair genes in endometrial cancer — the most commonly-diagnosed type of gynecologic cancer — to determine if a new approach to studying genes in those tumors could potentially lead to more effective therapies. “We evaluated the way that we were previously looking at mismatch repair genes,” Cosgrove says. “We did some additional testing on tumors and recognized that some actually had mismatch repair deficiencies.” Click here to learn more about endometrial cancer, including risks, symptoms and treatment options at The Ohio State University. The findings have enabled the team to pair endometrial cancer patients with those deficiencies with treatments that could potentially address their unique needs more effectively. “By designating these small groups of cells, we actually are able to identify patients that might benefit the most from immunotherapy, not only in our upfront treatment, but also potentially if cancer were to come back,” Cosgrove says. Among the benefits of the research could be an improved ability to identify patients at high risk for metastasis. “We also found that, for tumors that had spread outside the uterus, often these small groups of cells that were missing this mismatch repair protein were the ones that were growing outside the uterus,” Cosgrove says. “This type of research is going be increasingly important as we try to provide the precision medicine that our patients need.” The prospective benefits underscore the importance of continued research into the makeup of individual tumors to identify opportunities to improve the personalization of cancer treatment. “We now recognize that each tumor is very different,” Cosgrove says. “There can be small, subtle areas within tumors that might be overlooked if we're not looking very closely, so it’s become increasingly aware that we need to be not only saying yes or no, but really describing what we're seeing under the microscope so that we can provide the most precise treatment to each individual patient.” Click here to learn more about gynecologic cancer care and research at the OSUCCC – James.