Endometrial cancer

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Pelvic laparoscopy

Female reproductive anatomy

D and C

Endometrial biopsy

Hysterectomy

Uterus

Endometrial cancer

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Endometrial cancer

Alternative Names:

Endometrial/uterine adenocarcinoma; Uterine cancer; Adenocarcinoma of the endometrium/uterus; Cancer - uterine; Cancer - endometrial

Treatment:

Women with the early stage 1 disease may be candidates for treatment with surgical hysterectomy, but removal of the tubes and ovaries (bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) is also usually recommended for 2 reasons:

Tumor cells can spread to the ovaries very early in the disease
Any dormant cancer cells that may be present could possibly be stimulated by estrogen production by the ovaries

Abdominal hysterectomy is recommended over vaginal hysterectomy, because it affords the opportunity to examine and obtain washings of the abdominal cavity to detect any further evidence of cancer.

Women with stage 1 disease who are at increased risk for recurrence, and those with stage 2 disease are often offered surgery in combination with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy may be considered in some cases, especially for those with stage 3 and 4 disease.

Support Groups:

The stress of illness may be eased by joining a support group whose members share common experiences and problems. See cancer - support group.

Expectations (prognosis):

Because endometrial cancer is usually diagnosed in the early stages (70 - 75% of cases are in stage 1 at diagnosis, 10 - 15% of cases are in stage 2, 10 - 15% of cases are in stage 3 or 4), there is a better probable outcome associated with it than with other types of gynecological cancers such as cervical or ovarian cancer.

The 5-year survival rate for endometrial cancer following appropriate treatment is:

75 - 95% for stage 1
50% for stage 2
30% for stage 3
Less than 5% for stage 4

Complications:

Anemia may result, caused by chronic loss of blood - this may occur if the woman has ignored symptoms of prolonged or frequent abnormal menstrual bleeding.
A perforation (hole) of the uterus may occur during a D and C or an endometrial biopsy.

Calling your health care provider:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if any of the above symptoms occur, particularly if you are a woman with associated risk factors, or if you have not had women's health care examinations according to recommended schedules.

Review Date: 8/3/2004
Reviewed By: Marcia S. Brose, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Hematology/Oncology, The University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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