For the Editors, the task of writing a Preface is most satisfying. It
represents the completion of the book and a moment of reflection on
whether the whole is more than the sum of all the parts. And also, one
must reflect on how this book is likely to be utilized in this era of
rapid communications. The Editors first met in May 2003 at a stimulating
Italian symposium on endometrial cancer (organizers Drs. Luigi Frigerio,
Roberto Grassi and Andrea Lissoni, with participation of the deans of
Italian Gynecologic Oncology, Ugo Bianchi and Constantino Mangioni) that
took place at Bergamo and Caravaggio. The impressive gains in biology
and clinical trials were further discussed by the two editors and others
that are co-authors in this venture on this side of the Atlantic at a
2004 Educational Session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology
(ASCO). The pace of progress in various aspects of management of uterine
cancer was no- worthy, not only was tumor biology fueling novel
hypotheses such as questioning the mesenchymal origin of
carcinosarcomas, but knowledge of molecular pathways was beginning to be
applied as prognostic and as predictive factors portending benefit from
systemic therapies. Surgical staging and sensitive imaging provided the
underpinning for refining our treatment algorithms. Finally, a role for
che- therapy had finally become established, principally through phase
III studies c- paring chemotherapy to radiation in mostly locally
advanced stages III and IV that had undergone resection.
