There is no screening method to be used for early detection for women who have no complaints or no obvious risk factors for uterine cancer. However, some symptoms are markers of endometrial cancer in women. Abnormal vaginal bleeding, discharge, spotting is the most important symptom in women with uterine cancer.
What are the Symptoms of Uterine Cancer?
In approximately 90 percent of women diagnosed, bleeding in the postmenopausal period, premenopausal Irregularity in the menstrual cycle is observed in women who are still menstruating during the period. Since this symptom can occur in different health problems that are not cancer, a physician should be consulted for differential diagnosis. In this case, the time or amount of bleeding does not matter. Vaginal bleeding is not always in the form of blood, unusual vaginal discharge may be dark and foul-smelling. In some cases, abnormal discharge may also be seen. Therefore, the absence of blood in the discharge does not mean that there is no uterine cancer.
Pain and pressure sensation in the pelvic region are among the other symptoms encountered in uterine cancer. It occurs especially in the later stages of the disease. In addition, pain and pressure in the lower abdomen, pain during sexual intercourse, weight loss, loss of appetite are among the other symptoms that may occur in uterine cancer.
How to Diagnose Uterine Cancer?
Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis , pelvic examination, ultrasonography, endometrial biopsy. The most important finding is abnormal vaginal bleeding.
Physical examination: Diagnosis will first start with physical examination. In uterine cancer, as in other types of cancer, some symptoms may indicate different diseases. For this reason, many factors such as detailed medical history evaluation, existing diseases, and menstrual cycle will be evaluated together. At the same time, the uterus, vagina and nearby tissues are checked by performing a gynecological examination.
Intrauterine ultrasound is performed with the help of a small ultrasound probe inserted into the vagina in women with gynecological problems. In this procedure, whether there is any mass in the uterus, the endometrium remains. The thickness of the uterus, the uterine muscle layer and whether any mass has developed in these regions are investigated. After the microscopic examination by the pathologist, the cell type and structure of the cancer can also be revealed. After this procedure, which does not require anesthesia, the patient may experience pain after cramping, but it is possible to relieve this condition with painkillers. In this procedure, the cervix is enlarged and a sample is taken by scraping the uterine tissue with special instruments.
Hysteroscopy: It is a method used especially in patients with abnormal vaginal bleeding. In this method, which allows the physician to look inside the uterus, a thin telescope is inserted into the uterus. At this time, it is tried to find out what caused the abnormal bleeding by filling the uterus with saline and if necessary, biopsy can be performed. and Ca 125 blood test is done. Whether the cancer has spread to the bladder or rectum is investigated by procedures called cystoscopy and proctoscopy. arises. However, risk factors are not found in many women diagnosed with uterine cancer. Therefore, having one or more risk factors does not mean that she will get uterine cancer, but on the contrary, a woman with no risk factor can be diagnosed with uterine cancer. However, it should not be forgotten that risk factors are factors that increase the probability of developing the disease and that modifiable factors should be changed.
Women aged 45-70 and postmenopausal women are more likely to develop uterine cancer. Statistics show that uterine cancer is more common especially in women living in North America and Europe. Also in the high income group It is seen that the women in the a group of women have a higher tendency to get uterine cancer than those in the low-income group. While statistics speak like this, it is not known exactly what causes these results to occur. The effectiveness of some risk factors, such as ovarian syndrome, history of ovarian tumors, and previous radiation therapy, has been confirmed by research. However, although it has been shown that there is a relationship between uterine cancer and factors such as family history, sedentary life, high blood pressure, more research is needed to reveal its certainty.
Obesity: Women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of developing uterine cancer than women of normal weight It is known to be 2-4 times higher. The risk increases as overweight and body mass index increase. Excess fat tissue in the body converts other hormones to estrogen, thus causing an increase in the level of estrogen in the body. Therefore, an increase in estrogen levels increases the risk of uterine cancer. Obesity is also known to help some tumors to grow. There is no increase in risk in women with early menstruation and early menopause, and women with late menstruation and late menopause.
Hormone Replacement Therapy: The use of estrogen alone without progesterone, which is used to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness or mood changes. increases the risk. However, the combined use of progesterone and estrogen does not increase the risk. In addition, five years or more of tamoxifen treatment used in breast cancer patients may increase the risk of uterine cancer.
Never giving birth: During pregnancy, estrogen hormone levels decrease and progesterone levels increase. This has a protective effect on women from uterine cancer. As a result, she never had a pregnancy Women are twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than those who have had at least one pregnancy.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): PCOS, a metabolic problem that causes changes in the normal ovulation process and hormone cycle in women, increases the risk of uterine cancer. This problem also negatively affects the woman's conception. For this reason, the risk of people who have received radiation due to different reasons, especially to the pelvis area, increases.
History of Diabetes or Hypertension: Metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension in women increase the risk of uterine cancer. The coexistence of these diseases with obesity causes an increase in the risk. In some cases, even vaginal bleeding due to these tumors can be the first signs of uterine cancer. This type of diet can cause obesity, which is a risk for uterine cancer. Some researchers think that a fatty diet has a direct negative effect on estrogen metabolism. Studies have shown that an active life and regular physical activity reduce the risk of uterine cancer. In this direction, the risk increases in women who have to sit and work more and do not exercise.
Life expectancy is closely related to the stage of endometrial cancer.
Stage I: 90%, Stage 2: 80%, Stage 3: 50%, Stage 4: There is a 15% chance of survival.
Uterine Can Those With Cancer Get Pregnant?
Although endometrial cancer is generally seen after menopause, 5-10% of them are diagnosed in the premenopausal period. In these patients, if the cancer is at an early stage and the uterus is not removed, it can be ensured that the patients become pregnant with special treatments.
To prevent obesity, attention should be paid to healthy eating and exercising. It is known that the risk of uterine cancer is increased in obese women compared to those of a healthy weight. Women with weight problems should also be provided with a healthy weight with the support of a specialist. By preventing obesity, measures will be taken in terms of other metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of uterine cancer, it is necessary to lead an active life as much as possible and to exercise regularly. Exercise also provides benefits in terms of weight control, diabetes and hypertension control.
People with metabolic problems such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity should keep their diseases under control with regular health checks. Those with polycystic ovarian disease get the necessary treatment. It is beneficial for people undergoing hormone therapy for breast cancer to have an endometrial biopsy regularly.
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