By: Jean Johnson for Fibroids1Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers in women and takes 7,000 lives annually. Worse, the latest research concludes that it tends to come back after successful treatment. Based on trials with 915 patients who had surgical treatment between 1984 and 1996, Mayo Clinic researchers in the U.S. released a January 2005 study that concluded 46 percent of endometrial cancers recur within five years.
Endometrial cancer occurs largely in post-menopausal women more than 60 years old and scientists estimated that over 40,000 new cases of the disease occurred in 2004, with more than 7,000 instances leading to death.
Early symptoms include prolonged periods or bleeding between periods, spotting during the years leading up to menopause, and any bleeding after the onset of menopause, a pink or watery vaginal discharge. In instances where the cancer is advanced, pelvic pain, pain during intercourse, and weight loss are often present.
Endometrial cancer, which begins inside the uterus, is rarely detectable by a Pap test. A transvaginal ultrasound that uses sound waves via a wand-like device inserted into the vagina, though, can alert physicians. This painless procedure creates a video image of the uterus that assists in detecting abnormalities.
Another procedure for detection is endometrial biopsy, which can be done in a physician’s office without anesthesia, and allows physicians to collect cells from the lining of the uterus for laboratory analysis. Finally a full surgical dilation and curettage (D and C) may be indicated if more tissue than a biopsy can produce is needed to determine whether or not cancer cells are present.
Because endometrial cancer is thought to be an estrogen-dependent abnormality, at-risk women have often had many years of menstruation in which they started at an early age and continued to have monthly periods into their 50s. Never having been pregnant, irregular ovulation, obesity, diabetes, using estrogen replacement therapy and the presence of ovarian tumors are all also factors that produce higher levels of estrogen than normal populations evidence.
Dr. Richard R. Barakat, associate chief of gynecologic oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said that rates of endometrial cancer rose during the 1970s and into the early 1980s when hormone replacement therapy was based exclusively on estrogen. Since researchers found that adding progesterone would counter the harmful effects of estrogen on the uterus, though, rates of associated endometrial cancers declined. Along with taking hormone replacement therapy that includes progestin, a history of using oral contraceptives for a number of years also lowers risk.
Additionally, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, “obesity is one of the highest risk factors” for endometrial cancer since fat tissue can elevate estrogen levels. Post-menopausal women, particularly, are encouraged to maintain a healthy weight. Thus, eating well, managing stress and exercising, factors that improve general health and enable patients to cope with cancers, are identified as good rules of thumb for self-care. Foods high in protein, whole grains, and a variety of nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits are recommended, as are physical activities from aerobic exercise to strength training to yoga.
If left untreated, endometrial cancer can spread first to areas adjacent to the uterus in the pelvic cavity. In advanced stages of the disease associated cancers are seen throughout the body.
