Endometrial Cancer
What is endometrial cancer?
Endometrial cancer usually only refers to cancer cells that form and grow in the cells lining the uterine cavity, which is the upper part of the uterus. The uterus is the hollow, pear-shaped pelvic organ where fetal development happens.
Endometrial cancer begins in the layer of cells that form the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium. Endometrial cancer is sometimes called uterine cancer. Other types of cancer can form in the uterus, including uterine sarcoma, but they are much less common than endometrial cancer.
Endometrial cancer makes up about 95% of all cases of uterine cancer. A diagnosis of uterine sarcoma is rare.
Types of cancer:
Doctors sometimes divide endometrial cancers into 2 types.
- Type 1 cancers are the most common type. They are usually endometrioid adenocarcinomas, and are linked to excess oestrogen in the body. They are generally slow growing and less likely to spread.
- Type 2 cancers are not linked to excess oestrogen. They are generally faster growing and more likely to spread. They include uterine serous carcinomas and clear cell carcinomas.
Symptoms
- Vaginal bleeding between periods before menopause.
- Vaginal bleeding or spotting after menopause, even a slight amount.
- Lower abdominal pain or cramping in your pelvis, just below your belly.
- Thin white or clear vaginal discharge if you’re postmenopausal.
- Extremely prolonged, heavy or frequent vaginal bleeding if you’re older than 40.
Causes (and risk factors)
- The fundamental cause of endometrial cancer is DNA mutations in the cells lining the uterus.
- Hormone imbalance: Excess estrogen without adequate progesterone increases risk. This occurs in obesity, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, estrogen-only hormone therapy after menopause, and certain ovarian tumors.
- Reproductive history: Earlier menstruation (before age 12), later menopause, and never having been pregnant all increase risk due to greater lifetime estrogen exposure.
- Age: Risk increases with age, most common after menopause.
- Obesity: Alters hormone balance, increasing risk.
- Tamoxifen: This breast cancer treatment can increase endometrial cancer risk, though benefits typically outweigh this risk.
- Lynch syndrome: Inherited genetic condition that increases risk of endometrial and other cancers.
Staging
- Stage I cancer hasn’t spread beyond your uterus.
- Stage II cancer has spread to your cervix.
- Stage III cancer has spread to your vagina, ovaries and/or lymph nodes.
- Stage IV cancer has spread to your bladder or other organs far away from your uterus.
Grade
- If the cancer looks similar to healthy tissue and has different cell groupings, it is called a differentiated or low-grade tumor.
- If the cancerous tissue looks very different from healthy tissue, it is called a poorly differentiated or high-grade tumor.
5-Year Survival Rate
(these are general stats related to uterine cancer)
| Estimated new cases in 2024 | 69,120 |
| % of all new cancer cases | 3.4% |
| Estimated deaths in 2024 | 13,860 |
| % of all cancer deaths | 2.2% |
| 5-year relative survival (2014–2020) | 81.1% |
The 5-year relative survival rates for bladder cancer are as follows:
- >99% for localized breast cancer (there is no sign that the cancer has spread outside of the breast).
- 87% for regional breast cancer (the cancer has spread outside the breast to nearby structures or lymph nodes).
- 32% for distant breast cancer (he cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver or bones).