Uterine Cancer Symptoms

One of the more difficult cancers to detect early is uterine cancer, and this is because uterine cancer symptoms may not appear until the condition is well established. According to the American Cancer Society, noticeable symptoms are more common as the cancer becomes advanced. (Cancer.org)

Because more than 50,000 cases are diagnosed annually, and around 1/5 of those will die from the cancers, it is important to use both the uterine cancer symptoms and your own risk factors for developing it as a way of remaining aware.

Risk Factors and Uterine Cancer Symptoms

The most common uterine cancer symptoms include:

• Unusual vaginal bleeding or discharge
• Non-bloody vaginal discharge
• Pelvic pain
• Mass or tumor
• Weight loss
• Pain during sex
• Pelvic pain
• Pain or problems with emptying the bladder

Having one or more of these symptoms is by no means a sure sign that a woman has developed uterine cancer, but if a woman is also at risk for the condition it makes it important to seek medical support.

Risk factors mean that someone may have a greater chance of developing this form of cancer, and they include:

• Women over the age of 45; most cases occur in women 55 and over (only one in four occurs in younger women).
• Use of hormonal medications such as birth control pills, post menopausal use of estrogen.
• Conditions that have affected hormones, such as pregnancy, obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and ovarian tumors.
• Women who began menstruating before the age of 12 and who had many menstrual cycles over their lifetime.
• IUD usage.
• Personal history of diabetes.
• Family history of uterine cancer.
• Women with breast or ovarian cancer.
• Women with endometrial hyperplasia.
• Women who have had radiation treatment for other cancers.

It is important to note, though, that women who have many risk factors may not develop the condition, while women with none of the risk factors have developed uterine cancer. However, if a woman has several of the risk factors in addition to the more common uterine cancer symptoms, it is time to seek medical advice.

Steps to Take

As in almost any form of cancer, the sooner you are diagnosed, the better your chances for a positive outcome. With uterine cancer, unfortunately, symptoms may remain undetected for a lengthy period of time. This is a good reason to speak with your physician about testing or detection even if you have no obvious uterine cancer symptoms – especially if you have many risk factors working against you.

The standard pelvic exam may be good at later detection, and it is why the American Cancer Society advocates that women at risk will want to consider taking steps such as genetic counseling and testing in order to determine if they suffer from the mutation that greatly increases chances for uterine cancer.

Uterine Sarcoma

There is also another form of cancer in the uterus known as uterine sarcoma, and this is a cancer of the muscles and tissues that support the uterus. Though more than 95% of cancer in the uterus is what is known as a carcinoma, there are instances of uterine sarcomas, and they are often described as leiomyosarcoma of the uterus.

Often mistaken for benign “fibroids” these growths have earned a lot of attention because of the risks they pose to patients who unknowingly have their “fibroids” removed through the use of power morcellators. Essentially, the difficulty in diagnosing this form of cancer properly allows a horrible mistake to be made in treatment, and the device meant to break down the growths actually floods the body with cancer cells instead.

So, if you are showing any signs of uterine cancer or at risk for developing any related conditions, speak with your doctor at great length about this matter. If you have been diagnosed with fibroids, get a second opinion before having them removed. And if you are suffering from conditions worsened by faulty diagnosis, do not hesitate to discuss the matter with a qualified attorney.

Source

Cancer.org. Signs and Symptoms of endometrial cancer. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/endometrialcancer/detailedguide/endometrial-uterine-cancer-signs-and-symptoms

Cancer.org. Uterine Sarcoma. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003145-pdf.pdf