Study Suggests Rare Form of Endometrial Cancer Impacts Black Women More Aggressively
- “Howard Stern Show” sidekick Robin Quivers, 71, is embracing her shaved head after losing her hair during chemotherapy treatment for stage 3 endometrial cancer.
- A rare form of endometrial cancer – uterine serous carcinoma – is more aggressive in Black women compared to white women, according to a new study published in the medical journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Tumors from Black patients exhibited higher expression of specific genes associated with aggressiveness, such as PAX8, which influences white blood cells and their ability to activate the immune system and target cancer cells.
- Endometrial cancer begins when cancerous cells form in the tissues of the endometrium or lining of the uterus. Symptoms typically associated with this type of cancer include vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain.
- Diagnosis of the disease involves pelvic exams, ultrasounds, biopsies, and sometimes genetic testing for those at risk.
Robin Quivers, 71, the famous sidekick of famed radio show host Howard Stern, has embraced her bald head after losing her hair while undergoing chemotherapy for endometrial cancer. Although she once reached remission in 2013, the cancer returned, causing her to receive recurring treatment.
However, other women – especially Black women – diagnosed with a rare form of endometrial cancer face more challenges with this type of cancer because it tends to be more aggressive, according to a study published in the medical journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Researchers say “significant racial disparities exist between Black and white” patients with uterine serous carcinoma.
“Tumors from Black patients exhibited higher expression of specific genes associated with aggressiveness, such as PAX8 (a gene involved in uterine development).”
“We show that PAX8 activity can influence macrophage (a type of white blood cell that can stimulate the immune system) gene expression and protein secretion,” which means the PAX8 gene impacts how effective white blood cells are at activating the immune system that can target cancer cells.
Researchers hope by better understanding this aggressive form of endometrial cancer and its impact on Black women, better treatment options are developed.
“This is the first time PAX8 has been investigated for its involvement with immune signaling. Hopefully, this work can contribute to our understanding of endometrial cancer and improve survival for these patients,” the study’s lead author, Grace Foley, told Northwestern Medicine News Center.
Expert Resources to Help Patients Living With Endometrial Cancer
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- Hope for Endometrial Cancer: FDA Approves Durvalumab/Chemotherapy Combination for Hard-to-Treat Advanced Disease
- ‘The Google Earth of Endometrial Cancer’ — a New, Molecular Snapshot Could Lead to Better Treatment of the Disease
Understanding Robin’s Cancer Journey
Robin Quivers is a Baltimore native who earned several movie credits during the ‘90s, including “Private Parts,” an autobiographical story about famed radio host Howard Stern. However, her connection to Stern gained her the most notoriety as his co-host on his popular radio show from 2010 to 2013.
She was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2012, which begins when cancerous cells form in the tissues of the endometrium or lining of the uterus. Symptoms typically associated with this type of cancer include vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain.
After a woman has been diagnosed with endometrial cancer, her doctor will stage the cancer based on its spread within the body. A pelvic exam and imaging tests help your doctor learn if the cancer has spread or metastasized.
Her symptoms began after she started having trouble urinating and feeling more fatigued. She went to the doctor for answers, and her CT scans, MRIs, and biopsies remained inconclusive. Quivers described the period of uncertainty as “scary” and “bizarre.”
Further tests finally found the culprit, a grapefruit-size mass on “every organ in her pelvic area.”
Following the discovery, a hysterectomy was ordered, and the popular radio host underwent the procedure.
A hysterectomy is a procedure that removes part or all of the uterus (or womb), often along with the cervix, according to the National Cancer Institute. Women who receive a diagnosis of uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancer may have their cancer treated with a hysterectomy.
Following the procedure, Quivers began chemotherapy and radiation treatments that spanned 15 months.
“When you’re in and out of treatment, you’re always recovering and trying to get back to where you were,” Quivers said.
After undergoing intensive treatment, Quivers reached remission, which lasted for more than three years. Then, in late 2016, she experienced a relapse and needed additional treatment after the cancer returned and metastasized to her lymph nodes. After getting her cancer under control, she undergoes immunotherapy infusions periodically.
WATCH: New Immunotherapy Approvals Provide Hope for Women With Advanced Endometrial Cancer: What to Know
The immune system uses white blood cells to attack abnormal or foreign cells in the body. Cancerous cells can prevent the immune system from doing its job and attacking foreign cells. Cancer produces certain proteins that protect the tumor from white blood cells. As a result, the body does not recognize the tumor as abnormal. However, immunotherapy treatments stop this from happening and ensure that the white blood cells recognize the cancer cell properly and attack it.
How Robin Coped With Hair Loss During Treatment
Quivers lives with alopecia, which is the medical term for hair loss. It can affect your scalp or entire body and be temporary or permanent.
“I lost my hair in the second round of chemo I had to take in 2017. So, I’ve been like this since then,” Quivers said during a SiriusXM interview this summer.
“It’s my normal hairdo,” she added, proudly rocking a shaved head.
For many cancer patients, hair loss is a tough hurdle to overcome because hair is an integral part of a person’s sense of self.
WATCH: Hair loss during chemo.
Hair loss is challenging for women and men alike, but it can be incredibly difficult for cancer patients. Losing your hair or seeing it thinning is a common side effect of some cancer treatments.
Chemotherapy can cause hair loss. It usually begins about three to four weeks after chemotherapy and continues throughout treatment. This happens because this treatment targets quickly dividing cells throughout the body, including cancer cells and hair cells.
“For cancer patients, losing one’s hair can be unbelievably stressful. To start with, the dread of losing one’s hair can lead to some sleepless nights and feelings of anxiety,” Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, told SurvivorNet.
To better cope with this emotional stage of the journey, Dr. Boardman suggests reaching out to other survivors who have been through a similar situation.
Fortunately, hair loss during cancer treatment is not all bad news. Most people can expect regrowth four to six weeks after treatment. However, when your hair grows back, you may notice some changes in its color and texture.
If losing your hair is a concern before cancer treatment, know that you have options, such as wigs, hats, wraps, and scarves.
Another option that can minimize hair loss is cryotherapy, “just a fancy way for saying cold therapy,” says Dr. Renata Urban, gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Cryotherapy involves wearing cold caps or special cooling caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment.
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