Uterine cancer affects the uterus (the pear-shaped organ in a woman’s pelvis) of the female reproductive system. The most common form of uterine cancer is endometrial cancer (cancer affecting the lining of the uterus).

There are no known causes for uterine cancer; there are however, known risk factors. Uterine cancer is more prevalent in women who:

• Are post-menopausal (usually over 50), younger women can develop the disease; the occurrence is significantly less than in post menopausal women.
• Taking estrogen without also taking the other female hormone, progesterone for birth control for hormone replacement therapy.
• Are from families with a history of uterine, ovarian or colon cancer
• Had problems becoming pregnant
• Had fewer than five periods in a year before starting menopause
• Have high amounts of extra body fat
• Have never being pregnant
• Began menstruating before age 12 and continued through age 50 or more
• Are diabetic
• Have personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer
• Use of Tamoxifen, (a breast cancer treatment drug)

Uterine cancer prevention

There is no known way to prevent uterine cancer. But there are things you can do to lower the chances of getting uterine cancer. This includes:

• Using birth control pills.
• Maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active.

There are no tests to detect uterine cancer in women who do not have symptoms. Pap smears (pap tests) does not check for uterine cancer which is why it is important that women, especially those who have one or more of the risk factors, know the symptoms of uterine cancer. These include:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• watery vaginal discharge
• pelvic pain
• pain during sexual intercourse

If you experience any of these symptoms, your physician may suggest an endometrial biopsy. This involves the removal of a small piece of the endometrium to check for cancerous cells. This can be done by a gynecologist and takes only a few moments.

If the biopsy samples find cancer, then the stage of the cancer is determined by how far the cancer has spread. Treatment options are then decided depending on the stage.

Treating Uterine Cancer

Surgery is the most common treatment for uterine cancer. Depending on the stage of the cancer, one of the following will be performed:

• hysterectomy – surgical removal of the uterus
• hysterectomy with removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries
• lymph node dissection – removal of pelvic lymph nodes during hysterectomy that are later screened for cancer

Other treatment options include radiation therapy, which involves using high energy beams of radiation to shrink tumors or eliminate cancer cells. Radiation therapy damages the DNA of cancer cells and makes it unable to multiply.