An incredible medical achievement in Greece is opening up new possibilities for women with endometrial cancer.
For the first time in the country’s history, a patient who underwent a specific, uterus-sparing cancer treatment has become pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF). This breakthrough highlights Greece’s advanced capabilities in both gynecological oncology and assisted reproduction.
The successful pregnancy involves a 34-year-old woman from Northern Greece. While being evaluated for endometrial polyps and undergoing IVF, a hysteroscopy—a procedure that examines the uterus—revealed a small, early-stage (Type I) endometrial cancer.
Conventionally, the treatment for this type of cancer would have involved the complete removal of the uterus and ovaries, a procedure known as a “reproductive amputation.” This would have ended any possibility of the patient having a biological child.
Instead, a team of doctors in Greece led by Professor Grigorios Grimbizis of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki took a different approach to the woman’s endometrial cancer case. Following new European guidelines, they decided on a conservative path that preserved the patient’s reproductive organs.
The cancerous lesion was removed using a precise surgical technique called hysteroscopy, and she received additional medication. The treatment was successful, and follow-up examinations confirmed the cancer was in complete remission.
A “double gift of life” for this woman in Greece who was diagnosed with endometrial cancer
With the cancer successfully treated, the patient proceeded with her original plan to become a mother using her previously frozen embryos. The subsequent IVF procedure was successful, and she is now pregnant.
This case is a landmark for Greek medicine, as it’s the first officially documented pregnancy in the country after such a conservative treatment for endometrial cancer.
As Professor Grimbizis stated, it is “a double gift of life for every woman who has passed her ordeal and marks the future,” offering hope to countless women who previously had no option but to choose between life-saving treatment and having a family.
Related: Greek Researcher Advances Cancer Fight With New Technique
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