It is a hollow, pear-shaped organ in a womans pelvis (between your hip bones).
The uterus, or womb, is where a baby develops and grows.
How Common Is Uterine Cancer?
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Uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States.
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Anybody who has a uterus is at risk of developing uterine cancer.
However, the risk of developing uterine cancer increases with age.
Staging refers to how much the cancer has grown and whether it has spread beyond where it started.
To stage the cancer, a physical exam, biopsy, or imaging tests may be used.
Understanding which stage your cancer is in can help determine the best treatment plan.
Tumor (T): What is the size and extent of the tumor?
How far has it grown in the uterus?
Has it reached any other surrounding organs?
Lymph nodes (N): Has the cancer spread to nearby lymph nodes?
Metastasis (M): Has the cancer spread to other parts of the body?
This includes distant lymph nodes and organs.
There is no sign of the cancer in the nearby lymph nodes.
Treatments
Options to treat stage 1 uterine cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, or clinical trials.
Surgery options include:
What If I Want to Have Children?
In some cases, pelvic washing may also be used.
However, it has not spread outside the uterus.
There is no cancer in nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
Symptoms of stage 2 are similar to stage 1.
You may experience unusual bleeding, spotting, or vaginal discharge that is not normal for you.
Treatment for stage 2 include all the options for treating stage 1 uterine cancer.
There is no spread to lymph nodes or distant sites.
You may undergo weight loss or feel a mass or lump in the abdomen.
If it has spread to your bones, you may feel bone aches and pains.
If it has spread to your lungs, you may have shortness of breath.
Treatment
Stage 4 treatment includes all the treatment options for stage 3 uterine cancer.
The five-year survival rate for this bang out of cancer is promising.
Work with your doctor to determine the best course of treatment for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Uterine cancer is very treatable when it is caught early.
How quickly uterine cancer spreads depends on the bang out and subtype of cancer.
Some less-common types of endometrial adenocarcinomas tend to grow and spread faster than most types of endometrial cancer.
More research is needed to determine whether uterine cancer is hereditary.
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American Cancer Society.Survival rates for endometrial cancer.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of uterine cancer.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Uterine cancer risk factors.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Screening for uterine cancer.
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National Cancer Institute.Endometrial cancer treatment.
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American Cancer Society.Surgery for endometrial cancer.
American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of endometrial cancer.
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National Cancer Institute.Uterine sarcoma treatment (PDQ)patient version.
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Breastcancer.org.BRCA1 mutation linked to higher risk of specific punch in of uterine cancer.
