Uterine Cancer

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

The uterus, or womb, is the place where a baby grows when a women is pregnant. There are different types of uterine cancer. The most common type starts in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. This type is also called endometrial cancer.

The symptoms of uterine cancer include:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge
• Trouble urinating
• Pelvic pain
• Pain during intercourse

Uterine cancer usually happens after menopause. It is more common in women who have obesity. You also have a higher risk if you took estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (menopausal hormone therapy) for many years.

Tests to find uterine cancer include a pelvic exam, imaging tests, and a biopsy. The most common treatment is a hysterectomy, which is surgery to remove the uterus. Sometimes the surgery also removes the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Other treatments include hormone therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Some women get more than one type of treatment.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• Endometrial Cancer (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Uterine Cancer: Cancer of the Uterus (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Symptoms of Uterine Cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Endometrial Cancer Screening (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Pelvis Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• PTEN Genetic Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Tests for Endometrial Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Uterine Sarcoma Stages (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Endometrial Cancer Prevention (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Endometrial Cancer Risk Factors (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Risk Factors for Uterine Sarcoma (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Dilation and curettage (D&C) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Drugs Approved for Endometrial Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• Endometrial Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Treatment Option Overview (Uterine Sarcoma) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Living as a Uterine Sarcoma Survivor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Fertility and Sexual Side Effects in People with Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Questions to Ask about Uterine Sarcoma (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Uterine Sarcoma Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• What Is Uterine Sarcoma? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Advances in Endometrial Cancer Research (National Cancer Institute)
• Cancer Statistics: Uterine Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• Uterine Cancer Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• What's New in Uterine Sarcoma Research? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Endometrial Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Uterine Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Uterine carcinosarcomas: A case series of 9 cases from a low-income...
• Article: A Simple Eco-Friendly HPLC-PDA Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Paclitaxel...
• Article: Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of women with recurrent uterine leiomyosarcoma.
• Uterine Cancer -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• Choosing a Cancer Doctor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health Also in Spanish
• How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• NCI - Designated Cancer Centers (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Choriocarcinoma (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Endometrial biopsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Endometrial cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Uterine Cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish