I Have Advanced Cancer Of The Uterus. Can I Still Be Cured?

My doctor says I have advanced cancer of the uterus. Can I still be cured?

Cancer that has spread beyond the uterus is not generally curable. The rate of surviving five years decreases dramatically as the stage increases. That is, women with Stage I disease have a 75%–95% chance of living five years. For Stage II, it drops to 50%; Stage III it is 30%; and for Stage IV it is less than 5%.

Still, while not curable, it is treat-able, and while as the cancer advances cure is not possible, a remission or getting the cancer to stop growing would be reasonable options. There are many approaches to treat endometrial cancer, and with the research underway, hopefully these options will continue to expand.

Joan said:

I chose not to read about the survival rate of my type/grade of cancer—I avoided that specific statistic. I didn’t want a “dying” number in my head ricocheting around. I did learn about each treatment’s extension of survivability—it was part of the decision making process.

It wasn’t until I read this manuscript that I learned what the survival average is for me. Now I am faced with not letting myself dwell on it. I view my case as individually as I can and know that I will conquer this and live a long and wonderful life.