Uterine Cancer 2 Page

The stage of cancer refers to how much of the body is involved at the time of diagnosis. In general, one can break down the stages into those without spread out-side of the organ in...

The  grade is a way to describe what cancer cells look like under the microscope and to the degree they appear abnormal. The degree of changes seen in the cells tells the pathologist how abnormal...

What is the difference between a computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in working up uterine cancer? A CT scan uses x-rays to build a picture. To make contrasts between blood vessels, lymph...

FDG-PET stands for  fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission test. It is a radiologic study that uses information about the metabolism or activity of tumors to determine the extent a cancer has spread. A PET scan is done...

Lymph nodes are bean sized organs that are part of the immune system and are present throughout the body. There are lymph nodes lining all of the big arteries and veins in the abdomen and...

Ultrasound can be used to measure something called the endometrial stripe. By doing this measurement, the doctor can assess if there is an abnormality in the endometrium. A thick endometrial stripe is not nor-mal in...

Unfortunately, there are no blood tests that can be done to screen for or diagnose uterine cancer. A blood test used in ovarian cancer that checks for CA-125 can sometimes be elevated in advanced uterine...

Fortunately endometrial cancer is usually diagnosed early; approximately 80% of cases are diagnosed as stage I, or confined to the uterus, also called the corpus. This is because most women have symptoms early in the...

In addition to distinguishing them by histology, doctors can think of them as two “types” called Type I and Type II.Type I endometrial cancer is caused by an excess of the hormone estrogen. This excess...

As we discussed, endometrial adenocarcinomas arise from the lining of the endometrium, and hence are also termed epithelial cancers. The specific type of adeno-carcinoma is diagnosed by the pathologist, based on what the cells look...

Yes, particularly estrogen-containing compounds. In addition to Tamoxifen, using estrogen replacement therapy can increase the risk of uterine cancer. This is why, if used, it is given with progesterone, which is another female hormone that...

I Had Heard That Women With Breast Cancer Can Get Uterine Cancer. Is That True? Women who are taking a selective estrogen blocker like Tamoxifen can indeed get uterine cancer. This happens because Tamoxifen will...

Uterine cancers can occur in families due to the passage of a DNA mutation that causes an abnormality in the genes that helps them remain normal. The mutation that runs in some families that can...

The risk factors for uterine adenocarcinomas (Type I) are associated with excessive estrogen stimulation. Women who are obese, have polycystic ovarian syndrome, or take unopposed estrogen replacement (as seen with drugs like tamoxifen or estrogen-only...

The usual symptom of the most common type of uterine cancer is abnormal or heavy bleeding. This bleeding may be red blood like a menstrual period, or may be very scant. Some women describe their...

The uterus can give rise to different cancers. The most common is a glandular tumor that starts in the endometrium, called endometrial adenocarcinoma. Sometimes a distinction is made between two types of adenocarcinoma. Type I...

Each year, more than 40,000 women are diagnosed with uterine cancer and 7,400 women die of the disease in the United States. The majority of these cases are adenocarcinomas. Worldwide it affects almost 200,000 women...

There is no screening system for uterine cancer, though sometimes a  Pap smear, which is used to screen for cervical cancer, will detect cancer cells coming from the uterus. The Pap test is a procedure...

A fibroid is a muscular tumor of the uterus and develops from the wall of the uterus and can develop into the uterine cavity (called a submucosal fibroid), within the wall of the uterus (called...

There are two layers that make up the uterus: the endometrium and the myometrium. The endometrium lines the uterus and it becomes thicker when a woman’s ovaries are producing estrogen. The myometrium is the muscular...

The ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus make up a woman’s internal female reproductive organs and lie deep in the pelvis where they are connected to one another. The uterus attaches to the vagina at the...

Cancer is not something that you can catch. It is not passed on from one person to another like the common cold or the flu, and it is not something that you can get from...

Cancer is the end product of cells that no longer follow the usual order of cell growth, division, and death. Instead, these cells divide uncontrollably, and grow out of control. In addition, these cells do...

A tumor is a growth that occurs in or on any part of the body. It comes from French, and means “an abnormal swelling of tissue.” However, a tumor is more than just being swollen....