In most cases, patients who have early stage endometrial cancer undergo a surgery to remove the uterus, cervix, tubes, ovaries, and occasionally lymph nodes. This is usually done through a minimally invasive (not a large incision) surgery. To accomplish this, the uterus needs to be manipulated (moved around) to help the surgeon complete your surgery. This is usually done with a device called a uterine manipulator and the majority of surgeons use this device in any patient undergoing a minimally invasive hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and cervix).~Even though the majority of surgeons use a manipulator, there are some surgeons who believe there is a possibility that cancer cells inside the uterus can be spilled into the abdomen through the fallopian tubes. This may cause a higher risk of spreading the cancer and or of the cancer coming back.~Currently, there are very limited research studies directly looking at whether the uterine manipulator may cause these cells to appear in the abdomen.~The purpose of this study is to see if patients undergoing a minimally invasive surgery for early stage uterine cancer have cancer cells in the fluid that is obtained at the time of their surgery when a uterine manipulator is placed versus patients who do not have a uterine manipulator placed.~A computer program will randomly assign the subjects to one of two groups. One group will have minimally invasive surgery with the use of a uterine manipulator and the other group will have minimally invasive surgery without the use of a uterine manipulator.~Researchers will use the information from this study to decide how best to take care of patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for uterine cancer.
This is a prospective, multi-center, randomized non-inferiority phase III study to evaluate if patients undergoing a minimally invasive surgery for early stage uterine cancer have cancer cells in the fluid that is obtained at the time of their surgery when a uterine manipulator is placed versus patients who do not have a uterine manipulator placed.