Uterine Cancer
Endometrial cancer forms in the tissue lining the uterus (the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis in which a fetus develops).
- Most endometrial cancers are adenocarcinomas (cancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids).
- There were 42,160 estimated new cases and 7,780 estimated deaths from endometrial cancer in the United States in 2009.
Methods of Treatment
Women with uterine cancer have many treatment options.
- Most women with uterine cancer are treated with surgery.
- Some have radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. A smaller number of women may be treated with hormonal therapy.
- Some patients receive a combination of therapies.
Most women with uterine cancer have surgery to remove the uterus (hysterectomy) through an incision in the abdomen.
- The doctor also removes both fallopian tubes and both ovaries. (This procedure is called a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.) The doctor may also remove the lymph nodes near the tumor to see if they contain cancer. If cancer cells have reached the lymph nodes, it may mean that the disease has spread to other parts of the body.
- If cancer cells have not spread beyond the endometrium, the woman may not need to have any other treatment. The length of the hospital stay may vary from several days to a week.
Radiation Therapy
In radiation therapy, high-energy rays are used to kill cancer cells. Like surgery, radiation therapy is a local therapy. It affects cancer cells only in the treated area. Doctors use two types of radiation therapy to treat uterine cancer:
- External radiation: In external radiation therapy, a large machine outside the body is used to aim radiation at the tumor area. The woman is usually an outpatient in a hospital or clinic and receives external radiation 5 days a week for several weeks. This schedule helps protect healthy cells and tissue by spreading out the total dose of radiation. No radioactive materials are put into the body for external radiation therapy.
- Internal radiation: In internal radiation therapy, tiny tubes containing a radioactive substance are inserted through the vagina and left in place for a few days. The woman stays in the hospital during this treatment. To protect others from radiation exposure, the patient may not be able to have visitors or may have visitors only for a short period of time while the implant is in place. Once the implant is removed, the woman has no radioactivity in her body.
Some patients need both external and internal radiation therapies.
Some women with Stage I, II, or III uterine cancer need both radiation therapy and surgery. They may have radiation before surgery to shrink the tumor or after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain in the area. Also, the doctor may suggest radiation treatments for the small number of women who cannot have surgery.
Chemotherapy
May sometimes be used for the treatment of endometrial cancer after surgery, usually combined with radiation therapy.
- For cancer that has spread to distant organs, chemotherapy alone may be used.
- Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. T
- he drugs for endometrial cancer are usually given through a vein (intravenous). You may receive chemotherapy in a clinic, at the doctor's office, or at home. Some women need to stay in the hospital during treatment.
Hormonal therapy
Involves substances that prevent cancer cells from getting or using the hormones they may need to grow.
- Hormones can attach to hormone receptors, causing changes in uterine tissue. Hormonal therapy is called a systemic therapy because it can affect cancer cells throughout the body.
- Usually, hormonal therapy is a type of progesterone taken as a pill. The doctor may use hormonal therapy for women with uterine cancer who are unable to have surgery or radiation therapy.
- Also, the doctor may give hormonal therapy to women with uterine cancer that has spread to the lungs or other distant sites.
- It is also given to women with uterine cancer that has come back.
For further information about endometrial cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at to learn about endometrial cancer symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and questions to ask the doctor.
Department Contact List
- Department of Gynecology at Santa Clara.
- Department of Radiation Oncology at Santa Clara.
- Department of Medical Oncology at Santa Clara.
