RATIONALE: Studying samples of tumor tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors identify and learn more about biomarkers related to cancer.

PURPOSE: This research study is studying at biomarkers in tissue samples from patients with stage I or stage III endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• To identify microRNA expression patterns associated with lymph node metastasis in samples from patients with endometrial cancer.

OUTLINE: Banked tumor tissue specimens are analyzed for microRNA expression profiling by microarray analysis and reverse transcriptase-PCR assays.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed endometrioid endometrial cancer

  • Stage IA, IB, IC, or IIIC disease
  • Any grade

• Enrolled and evaluated on GOG-0210 Molecular Staging Study of Endometrial Cancer

  • Consented to allow their specimens and clinical data to be collected and stored for future research

• Underwent complete surgical staging, including the following:

  • Hysterectomy
  • Bilateral oophorectomy
  • Washings as well as pelvic lymphadenectomy (sampling of four left and four right pelvic lymph nodes)
  • Para-aortic lymphadenectomy (sampling of one left and one right para-aortic lymph node)

• Sufficient high-quality frozen primary tumor for testing with ≥ 75% tumor cellularity and ≤ 10% necrosis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Not specified

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics