Bending Reality Magazine August 2015 | Page 56

Uterine cancer or womb cancer is any type of cancer that emerges from the tissue of the uterus. It can refer to several types of cancer, with cervical cancer (arising from the lower portion of the uterus) being the most common type worldwide and the second most common cancer in women in developing countries. Endometrial cancer (or cancer of the inner lining of the uterus) is the second most common type, and fourth most common cancer in women from developed countries. Risk factors depend on specific type, but obesity, older age, and human papillomavirus infection add the greatest risk of developing uterine cancer. Early on, there may be no symptoms, but irregular vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain or fullness may develop. If caught early, most types of uterine cancer can be cured using surgical or medical methods. When the cancer has extended beyond the uterine tissue, more advanced treatments including combinations of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery may be required.

When present, common uterine cancer symptoms may include:

•Vaginal bleeding or spotting: This includes vaginal bleeding between periods, prolonged periods, or bleeding after intercourse or after menopause.

•Abnormal vaginal discharge: Some women experience a watery or bloody discharge as a symptom of their disease, though this is often a sign of infection or other non-cancerous conditions.

•Pelvic pain or pressure: Pain during intercourse or at other times may be a uterine cancer symptom, or the sign of a less serious condition. Women who experience unexpected vaginal bleeding, spotting or unusual discharge should discuss these symptoms with their gynecologist.

Types

The terms uterine cancer and womb cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:

•Endometrial cancer:

•Endometrial carcinomas originate from cells in the glands of the endometrium (uterine lining). These include the common and readily treatable well-differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma, as well as the more aggressive uterine papillary serous carcinoma and uterine clear-cell carcinoma.

•Endometrial stromal sarcomas originate from the connective tissues of the endometrium, and are far less common than endometrial carcinomas.

•Malignant mixed Müllerian tumors are rare endometrial tumors which show both glandular (carcinomatous) and stromal (sarcomatous) differentiation – carcinosarcoma behaves similar to a high grade carcinoma, and it is felt to be of epithelial origin rather than true sarcoma.

•Cervical cancer arises from the transformation zone of the cervix, the lower portion of the uterus and connects to the upper aspect of the vagina.

•Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.

•Gestational trophoblastic disease relates to neoplastic processes originating from tissue of a pregnancy that often is located in the uterus.

Causes

It is not known with certainty what the causes for uterine cancer may be, though hormone imbalance is speculated as a risk factor. Estrogen receptors, known to be present on the surfaces of the cells of this type of cancer, are thought to interact with the hormone causing increased cell growth, which can then result in cancer. The exact mechanism of how this occurs is not understood.

Epidemiology

Age-standardized death from cancer of the uterine body per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004.

no data less than 0.5 0.5-1 1-1.5 1.5-2 2-2.5 2.5-3 3-3.5 3.5-4 4-4.5 4.5-5 5-8 more than 8

Uterine cancer resulted in about 58,000 deaths in 2010 up from 45,000 in 1990.

Uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women in the UK (around 8,500 women were diagnosed with the disease in 2011), and it is the tenth most common cause of cancer death in women (around 2,000 people died in 2012)

What is the uterus?

The uterus (womb) is in the lower abdomen behind the bladder. The inside of the uterus is where a baby grows if you become pregnant. The inside lining of the uterus is called the endometrium. This builds up and is then shed each month as a period in women who have not yet gone through the menopause. The thick body of the uterus is called the myometrium and is made of specialized muscle tissue.

Uterine Cancer Adapted By Dea