Clinical Research Directory

SHAPE-ENDO: Pilot Randomized Trial of Multimodal Pre-Surgical Optimization Versus Standard Surgery in Patients With Obesity and Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer

SHAPE-ENDO is a single-center, open-label, pilot randomized clinical trial conducted at Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge in Barcelona, Spain. The study will evaluate the feasibility, safety, and acceptability of comparing two treatment strategies in women with atypical endometrial hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia or low-risk endometrioid endometrial cancer and grade III obesity, defined as BMI ≥40 kg/m². Eligible participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two arms. The control arm will undergo standard immediate surgery according to the institutional clinical protocol. The experimental arm will receive the SHAPE-ENDO multimodal pre-surgical optimization strategy before surgery. The SHAPE-ENDO strategy includes metabolic treatment with semaglutide/Wegovy®, local hormonal therapy with a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device/Mirena® with or without oral medroxyprogesterone acetate/Progevera®, a structured nutritional program, adapted physical exercise, and scheduled oncologic surveillance with clinical evaluation, imaging, and endometrial biopsy with or without hysteroscopy. The experimental strategy will initially last 28 weeks. In participants with clinical, metabolic, or anthropometric benefit, adequate tolerance, and no evidence of tumor progression, the strategy may be extended up to 54 weeks before surgery. The primary objective is to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and acceptability of the randomized trial design. Primary feasibility outcomes include recruitment rate, acceptance of randomization, retention, adherence to the assigned intervention, completion of the SHAPE-ENDO strategy, progression during the optimization period, and the proportion of participants in the experimental arm who reach surgery without tumor progression. Secondary outcomes include perioperative morbidity, histological response in the experimental arm, metabolic and anthropometric changes, quality of life, treatment adherence, safety and tolerability, and exploratory long-term oncologic outcomes including overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and cancer-specific survival.

Evaluating Metabolic Health in Individuals With Extreme Obesity

This research will evaluate energy metabolism (expenditure and fat oxidation), metabolic flexibility (response to a high-fat test meal) in 10 individuals with a BMI ≥60 kgm2 using gold-standard assessments of energy metabolism, metabolic flexibility, and body composition. Males and females (18-80 y) with extreme obesity (BMI: ≥60 kg/m2) will be recruited from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Exclusion criteria include major organ failure, uncontrolled endocrine disease, severe psychiatric illness, pregnancy, and inability to comply with study procedures. The total duration of participation for each individual is estimated at approximately 10 days. If qualified, participants (BMI≥60 kg/m2; n=10) will complete one outpatient visit and one inpatient visit with 36hr metabolic chamber testing.