Endometrial cancer, which forms within the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium), affects more than 66,000 women in the U.S. every year. Because the disease presents noticeable symptoms during its early stages, endometrial cancer can be treated and cured if promptly diagnosed. Speak with a Bayhealth cancer expert about treatment options.
Signs and Symptoms
Common signs of endometrial cancer include the following.
- Vaginal Bleeding: Most women with endometrial cancer experience some form of atypical vaginal bleeding, such as between periods or after menopause.
- Pelvic Pain: Advanced endometrial cancer may cause a painful sensation in the pelvis.
Risk Factors and Prevention
While exact causes of endometrial cancer remain unknown, the following factors can increase the risk that you will develop the disease at some point in your life.
- Advanced Age: Endometrial cancer risk increases with age. Most cases occur in women aged 50 years or older.
- Obesity: Because having a high body weight can increase your estrogen levels, which in turn can cause a hormonal imbalance, obesity greatly increases the risk for developing endometrial cancer.
- Atypical Menstruation: If your periods started at a young age (before 12) or stopped at a late age (after 50), you may have a heightened risk for endometrial cancer.
- Hormonal Changes: Anything that affects hormone levels can increase the risk of endometrial cancer during your lifetime. Examples include use of birth control pills, undergoing breast cancer drug therapy, and taking estrogen after menopause.
- Nulliparity: Women who have never carried a pregnancy or given birth to a child have a heightened risk for developing endometrial cancer.
- Prior Illness: If you’ve suffered from breast or ovarian cancer, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), type 2 diabetes or endometrial hyperplasia during your lifetime, you may have an increased risk for developing endometrial cancer.
Family and Personal History
A family history of endometrial cancer can increase the risk that you will develop the disease at some point in your life. In clinical partnership with Penn Medicine’s Telegenetics Program, Bayhealth provides genetic counseling services to our patients. Using video-conferencing software that can be accessed at our Kent and Sussex campuses, genetic counselors at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center will discuss your personal and family history with you and make genetic testing recommendations. These tests provide insight into your cancer risks and help our multidisciplinary medical team to determine the best treatment plan for your condition. To learn more about our telegenetics program or to participate, call us at 302-674-4401.
How We Diagnose Endometrial Cancer
We use the following procedures to diagnose endometrial cancer.
- Pelvic Exam: Our medical expert examines the inside of your vagina and cervix for signs of cancer. They also examine your ovaries and uterus for abnormalities.
- Hysteroscopy: Using a thin, lighted tube (hysteroscope), our medical expert examines the inside of your cervix and uterus for signs of cancer.
- Biopsy: Part or all of the uterus is extracted for examination in a pathology lab.
- Pap Test: Typically performed during a pelvic exam, a Pap test (or Pap smear) involves removing cells from the inside of your vagina or cervix for analysis.
- Computerized Tomography (CT): Certified experts use computer-processed X-rays to generate a scan of your body in “slices” to create highly accurate images.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): A combination of a magnetic field and radio waves creates three-dimensional images of specific areas of your body to determine if disease or physical abnormalities are present.
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan: A small amount of radioactive material (which is known to absorb into cancer cells more than normal cells) is injected into your bloodstream, allowing a scanner to locate the cancerous cells.
- Ultrasound: High-energy sound waves are bounced off your internal tissues and organs, creating a detailed image (sonogram) of your uterus.
Treatment Options
Our multidisciplinary team works collaboratively to outline a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. Experts from a range of specialties will discuss your condition and determine the best plan of action. Factors we consider when developing your treatment plan include the stage and location of the cancer and your personal medical history.
Treatments for endometrial cancer include the following.
Medical Therapy
Our board-certified oncologists prescribe your medical therapy, and our highly trained nursing staff administers that therapy intravenously, orally or through injection.
Among the medical treatments we provide are the following.
- Targeted Drug Therapy: This type of cancer treatment uses drugs to “target” cancer cells without affecting normal cells.
- Chemotherapy: This drug treatment uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cancer cells in your body.
- Immunotherapy: This treatment option boosts your immune system, empowering it to fight and destroy cancer cells.
- Hormone Therapy: This drug treatment lowers the hormone levels in your body, targeting cancer cells that rely on hormones to grow and spread.
Radiation Therapy
Our team of board-certified radiation oncologists may use external beam radiation in combination with other treatments to address your cancer. Employing sophisticated technology, our therapists concentrate high-energy beams of radiation on the precise parts of your body affected by disease. This safe and accurate procedure may be administered routinely over a period of days or weeks. Other radiation procedures include the following.
- High-Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy: A form of internal radiotherapy, HDR brachytherapy involves using a narrow tube (catheter) to place a small amount of radioactive material into or near the area affected by cancer. This procedure may be used in conjunction with other treatments, including external beam radiation.
Surgical Approach
Our specialized endometrial surgery team uses the latest in minimally invasive techniques to remove the parts of the uterus affected by disease (hysterectomy). They may also remove the fallopian tubes and ovaries. Adhering to evidence-based guidelines, our robot-assisted surgical procedures provide safe treatment for all stages of cancer.
Learn more about cancer treatment options at Bayhealth.
Support Services
Before, during and after your cancer treatments, our experts remain dedicated to improving your quality of life. Our care team supports you in establishing healthy routines that help you stay in control of your daily symptoms. We also host support groups that provide patients and families opportunities to connect and share their experiences — because a strong network of support can help to make the realities of cancer more manageable.
- Cancer Support Community: A statewide non-profit organization, the Cancer Support Community, is dedicated to helping people manage the emotional aspects of their cancer journey. Learn more about the Cancer Support Community.
Explore our classes, events and support groups.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that test cutting-edge drugs, procedures and technologies with the purpose of establishing new or better ways of treating cancer. The skilled nurses in our Clinical Research Program can help you find clinical trial options for your specific cancer.
Speak with a Bayhealth expert about cancer treatment options.