Endometrial cancer, which is cancer to the uterus, is a very common
cancer for women. There are about 40,000 women diagnosed with
endometrial cancer each year, making it the fourth most common cancer
among women, below breast cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer.
Endometrial cancer affects the lining of the uterus and is most common
among older women between the ages of 60 and 70, usually after women’s
reproductive years. Endometrial cancer occurs when the uterus and
other areas surrounding the uterus, such as the myometrial cells become
affected with the cancerous cells.
The good thing about
endometrial cancer is that it usually can be detected early because of
symptoms such as vaginal bleeding that occurs either between periods or
after menopause. If endometrial cancer is discovered early, it can
usually be treated. In fact, about 90 percent of endometrial cancer
cases can be treated if caught in stage I. In the early stages of
endometrial cancer, the disease is usually cured by removing the
uterus, but if the cancer spreads to other parts of the body is can be
increasingly difficult to cure.
Some symptoms of endometrial cancer
include vaginal bleeding that occurs between periods or after
menopause, pelvic pain, pain during intercourse, and weight loss. If
someone is experiencing some or all of the symptoms of endometrial
cancer, it is important that they get checked out by their doctor
quickly; because the chances of getting rid of endometrial cancer
decrease drastically the later it is detected. Because this is true of
most cancers, it is important that women get annual gynecological
examine even after menopause, to insure that they are healthy. If
caught early, endometrial cancer can be treated and cured. Out of the
40,000 people diagnosed with this cancer, about 7,000 women die each
year from the disease.