When Is It Womb Cancer?

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Womb cancer is also called uterine cancer, or endometrial cancer, referring to the inner lining of the womb. Endometrial cancer is the most common type of womb cancer and develops when the cells of the womb lining begin to proliferate and get out of control. They can attack all nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Sometimes these tumors are benign and should not be confused with the malignant type as they could be fibroids and are not cancerous. These fibroids can cause vaginal bleeding, discharge, and pain, and surgery may then be an option.Womb cancer is the most common gynecological cancer and usually affects postmenopausal women between the ages of 60 and 74. It rarely affects younger women Endometrioid adenocarcinoma, papillary serous adenocarcinoma, and clear cell adenocarcinoma are the three most common kinds of endometrial cancer.

Some risk factors are known about endometrial cancer though researchers have not yet established why some women get it and others don’t. The main factors appear to be age and the amount of estrogen a woman is exposed to in her lifetime, either naturally or from external sources. So the issues that expose a woman to estrogen include: early menstruation, childlessness, lack of breastfeeding, late menopause, and nonuse of some contraceptives that stop ovulation. Race is a factor with white women more likely to be affected than black women. Obesity is also a factor to be considered as fat changes other hormones to estrogen and thus increases its levels, making fat woman more likely to develop endometrial cancer. So a high fat diet is also a cause of this cancer while a diet that includes phyto-estrogens, which are chemicals found in, say, soya, dried fruits and lignans could ward off womb cancer. Diabetes and postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy can also lead to this disease. There is also the genetic factor. Some women inherit a mutated gene that causes Lynch syndrome, which can lead to endometrial cancer. If close relatives have developed colon or endometrial cancer then it’s best to get tested. A very rigorous screening will determine if a woman is at risk and if she is she can even go in for precautionary removal of the uterus to avoid the occurrence of the cancer.

Preventive measures against this cancer are not really possible because the screening methods aren’t top notch. So the best way for a woman to prevent the cancer is to have control over such factors as diet, use of contraceptives, and child bearing. If Lynch Syndrome has been diagnosed then endometrial biopsies after the age of 35 are a good idea.

The symptoms of endometrial cancer manifest with abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, back pain, blood in the stool or urine. As these symptoms could indicate other diseases the physician needs to give you thorough examination, and possibly an ultrasound and a biopsy to determine if it is endometrial cancer. Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy will form the treatment. Make sure you have follow-up visits in case there is a recurrence.