Cancer & Women
Endometrial Cancer
This cancer of the lining of the uterus will be diagnosed in nearly 40,000 American women each year.
Things that slightly increase risk include:
- Estrogen therapy without also taking progesterone
- Using tamoxifen for breast cancer treatment or to lower chance of breast cancer
- Early onset menstrual periods
- Late menopause
- History of infertility
- Never having had children
- Obesity
- Diabetes
Also, women with a personal or family history of hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer are at greater risk of endometrial cancer.
What you can do
- Watch for symptoms, such as unusual spotting or bleeding unrelated to periods, and report these to your doctor
- At menopause, learn about the limitations and benefits of endometrial cancer testing.
- Note – the Pap test is good a finding cancer of the cervix, but it is not a reliable test for endometrial cancer.
See also:
- Endometrial Cancer: The VICC.ORG Directory of Cancers,Treatments, Services & Resources
