Uterine Cancer

Cancer of the inner lining of the uterus, called the endometrium, is the most common cancer of the female reproductive tract. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 41,200 new cases of cancer of the uterine body, most of which are endometrial cancers, will be detected in the United States in 2006, resulting in about 7,350 deaths. The good news is that if detected and treated early, the prognosis is excellent.
Although endometrial cancer is the most common form of uterine cancer, some women are diagnosed with sarcoma of the uterus, an extremely aggressive form of the cancer. In this rare form of uterine cancer, cancer cells originate from the muscles or other supporting tissues of the uterus. Women who have received therapy with high-dose x-rays to their pelvis have a high risk for some types of uterine sarcomas.
Sarcoma of the uterus usually begins after menopause. The prognosis and choice of treatment depend on the stage of the sarcoma, how fast the cancer cells grow and the woman's general health.
The vast majority of women diagnosed with endometrial cancer are postmenopausal; 70 percent of cases occur in women between 45 and 74, and only eight percent of cases occur in younger women. Younger women who develop the condition tend to be obese. The most common symptom in these women is the loss of their periods.
Unlike ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer has a major, identifiable symptom in its early stages: abnormal vaginal bleeding, or postmenopausal bleeding. This symptom occurs in 90 percent of endometrial cancer cases. Other symptoms include pelvic pressure, difficulty and pain during urination and pain during intercourse.
One of the biggest risk factors for developing endometrial cancer is obesity. Other risks include diabetes and a strong family history of colon cancer, particularly a type of colon cancer known as hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer, or HNPCC. Other risks are never having had children and having a late menopause. Together, these risks can lead to continued estrogen stimulation of the endometrial tissue. In other words, the tissue continues to grow and divide unopposed, or without a break, which increases the risk of cell division growing out of control.
Although the cancer is more common in Caucasian women than African-American women, more African-American women die from the disease. Additionally, the older you are at diagnosis, the greater your risk of death from the cancer.