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Endometrial
Cancer (Cancer of Uterus)
The
most common type of cancer of the uterus begins in the
endometrium and is called endometrial cancer or uterine cancer.
While cancer of uterine muscle is called uterine sarcoma, is
less common. Cancer that begins in the cervix is also a
different type of cancer.
As
uterine cancer grows, it may invade nearby organs and later may
spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, and
bones. Cancer that has spread from the uterus to other parts of
the body is called metastatic uterine cancer.
The
following risk factors for Endometrial Cancer are known:
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Age
- Endometrial cancer is most common in women over age 50.
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Race
- Endometrial cancer has been found to be more common in
white women than in black women.
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Overweight
- Overweight women are more than twice as likely to develop
uterine cancer as women of normal weight.
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Endometrial
hyperplasia - Women who have endometrial hyperplasia have a
higher risk of developing uterine cancer.
-
Estrogen
replacement therapy - Women who use estrogen replacement
therapy to control symptoms associated with menopause may
have an increased risk of uterine cancer. Using a
combination of estrogen and progesterone decreases the risk
linked to the use of estrogen alone.
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Tamoxifen
- An increased risk of developing uterine cancer has been
found in women taking the drug tamoxifen for the treatment
of breast cancer.
-
Other
cancers - Women with a history of colon cancer, rectal
cancer, or breast cancer have a slightly higher risk of
developing uterine cancer than do most other women. Women
who have had uterine cancer also have an increased risk of
developing certain other cancers.
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Other
risk factors for uterine cancer are also related to
estrogen, including having few or no children or entering
menopause late in life.
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