Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts, even if it spreads to other body parts later. When cancer starts in the uterus, it is called uterine cancer. The uterus is the pear-shaped organ in a woman’s pelvis (the area below your stomach and in between your hip bones). The uterus, also called the womb, is where the baby grows when a woman is pregnant. The most common type of uterine cancer is also called endometrial cancer because it forms in the lining of your uterus, called the endometrium. When uterine cancer is found early, treatment works best. All women are at risk for uterine cancer, but the risk increases with age. Most uterine cancers are found in women who are going through or who have gone through menopause—the time of life when your menstrual periods stop. There is no way to know for sure if you will get uterine cancer. Some women get it without being at high risk. However, several factors may increase the chance that you will get uterine cancer, including if you are older than 50, are obese (have an abnormally high, unhealthy amount of body fat), take estrogen by itself (without progesterone) for hormone replacement during menopause, have had trouble getting pregnant, or have had fewer than five periods in a year before starting menopause and have close family members who have had uterine, colon or ovarian cancer. There is no known way to prevent uterine cancer. But these things may reduce your chance of getting uterine cancer – using birth control pills; maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active; taking progesterone, if you are taking estrogen. Symptoms for Uterine cancer may cause vaginal discharge or bleeding that is not normal for you. Bleeding may be abnormal because of how heavy it is or when it happens, such as after you have gone through menopause, between periods, or any other bleeding that is longer or heavier than is normal for you. Uterine cancer may also cause other symptoms, such as pain or pressure in your pelvis. There are no simple and reliable ways to test for uterine cancer in women who do not have any signs or symptoms. Your doctor may perform an endometrial biopsy or a transvaginal ultrasound. These tests can be used to help diagnose or rule out uterine cancer. Uterine cancer is treated in several ways. It depends on the kind of uterine cancer and how far it has spread. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation. Surgery: Doctors remove cancer tissue in an operation; Radiation: Using high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to kill the cancer; Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy removes hormones or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing. Hormones are substances made by glands in the body and circulated in the bloodstream and Chemotherapy: Using special medicines to shrink or kill the cancer. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given in your veins, or sometimes both.
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