Endometrial Carcinogenesis and Molecular Signaling Pathways

The Endometrial Cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy that starts in the endometrium of women. Carcinogenesis of EC is associated with several critical regulatory molecules, which involve in different signaling pathways. A number of signaling pathways have been identified to be involved in the multiple-step development of EC, including PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, WNT/β-catenin signal transduction cascades (including APC/β-catenin pathway), MAPK/ ERK pathway, VEGF/VEGFR ligand receptor signaling pathway, ErbB signaling pathway, P53/P21 and P16INK4a/pRB signaling pathways. This review mainly focuses on the molecular signaling pathways relevant to human endometrial cancer and discusses those critical capabilities of transforming endometrial cells, including evading apoptosis; enhancing cell proliferation; blocking differentiation; and inducing angiogenesis.