Medroxyprogesterone Acetate With or Without Entinostat Before Surgery in Treating Patients With Endometrioid Endometrial Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients must have a histologically proven diagnosis of endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma by endometrial curettage or biopsy within 8 weeks prior to registration; central pathology review will be required as part of the study but not for registration purposes
History/physical examination within 42 +/- 5 days of planned surgical procedure (18-21 days from day 1); further protocol-specific assessments
The trial is open only to women with primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus (all histologic grades and stages) who are planned and appropriate for primary surgical treatment to include removal of the uterine corpus via any surgical modality; the patient must be considered a suitable surgical candidate
Patients must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1, 2, or 3 within 28 days prior to registration
Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from the biopsy or curettage must be submitted along with the corresponding pathology report
Platelets >= 100,000/ul
Granulocytes (ANC) >= 1,500/ul
Creatinine =< 1.6 mg/dl
Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) (alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) =< 3 x upper limits of normal
Bilirubin within institutional normal limits
The patient must provide study-specific informed consent and authorization permitting release of personal health information prior to study entry
Any patients of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients with any non-endometrioid histology (such as serous, clear cell, or carcinosarcoma)
Patients who have received prior progestin or anti-estrogen therapy during the 3 months before the diagnosis of endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus is established; estrogen therapy alone is allowed
Patients with ECOG performance grade of 4
Patients with history of thrombophlebitis within the past 2 years or ongoing thromboembolic disorders
Patients who have previously received systemic, radiation or other treatment for uterine cancer
Patients for whom formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from the biopsy or curettage is unavailable
Patients must not have previously received a non Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor in a clinical trial setting (entinostat, belinostat)
Patients must not be currently taking or have ever taken vorinostat (Zolinza, Merck), panobinostat (Farydak, Novartis) or romidepsin (Istodax, Gloucester Pharmaceuticals)