Liquid Biopsy-Based Early Screening for Endometrial Cancer in Regional Chinese Populations

Endometrial cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies, and its incidence is rising. Currently, there is a lack of highly effective and non-invasive screening methods. Liquid biopsy, which analyzes cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the blood, has emerged as a promising approach for early cancer detection. This observational study aims to develop and evaluate a non-invasive blood test to screen for early-stage endometrial cancer and to distinguish between benign and malignant endometrial lesions. This study plans to enroll 512 female participants, divided into three groups: 216 patients with stage I-IV endometrial cancer, 80 patients with atypical endometrial hyperplasia (a precancerous condition), and 216 healthy controls. We will collect peripheral blood samples from all participants and perform low-pass whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on the extracted plasma cfDNA. By analyzing specific DNA features (such as DNA fragment patterns, end motifs, and copy number variations) and using artificial intelligence (machine learning), we will build a predictive model. This study hopes to establish a more effective, non-invasive early screening strategy to improve the clinical diagnosis of endometrial cancer in the Chinese population.