endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers in American women. In fact, about 40,000 American women receive a diagnosis of endometrial cancer each year, making it the fourth most common cancer found in women - after breast cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.

Endometrial cancer usually begins in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus - a hollow, pear-shaped pelvic organ where fetal development occurs. Endometrial cancer is most common after the reproductive years, between the ages of 60 and 70. Endometrial cancer is sometimes called uterine cancer, but there are other cells in the uterus that can become cancerous - such as muscle or myometrial cells. These form much less common cancers called sarcomas and account for less than 5 percent of uterine cancers.

Endometrial cancer is often detected at an early stage because it frequently produces vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods or after menopause. If discovered early, this slow-growing cancer is likely to be confined to the uterus. Removing the uterus surgically often eliminates all of the cancer. In fact, stage I endometrial cancer is successfully treated more than 90 percent of the time. Unfortunately, not all endometrial cancer can be successfully treated. In these cases, the cancer has spread beyond the uterus by the time it's detected. About 7,000 American women die each year of endometrial cancer.