The uterus is one of the most important parts of a woman’s body, as it contains the fetus inside it until birth. When it is affected by uterine cancer, questions and fears multiply, and in this article we will learn about everything related to it.

What is uterine cancer?

Before knowing the treatment for uterine cancer, uterine cancer is a disease in which cancer cells grow inside the uterus, and it is divided into two main types: endometrial cancer, which is the most common type, and cervical cancer, which is the least common type.

1- Cervical cancer

It kind of is Cancer It occurs in the cells lining the cervix, where the cervix connects the uterus and the vagina. Cancer begins when cells grow abnormally in this place.

2- Endometrial cancer

The cancer affects the lining of the uterus itself, the lining that contains the fetus during pregnancy, and is the most common type of uterine cancer.

It grows slowly, so prompt treatment of uterine cancer leads to good results, but if it is not treated, it may spread to the bladder, ovaries, fallopian tube, and distant organs.

3- Malignant fibroids

It is one of the types of uterine cancer, but it is very rare, as it forms in the muscles or tissues of the uterus. Symptoms include bleeding, severe pain, and a feeling of fullness, and it requires undergoing uterine cancer treatment.

What are the causes of uterine cancer?

Uterine cancer is formed when the DNA inside the uterus is mutated, disrupting the control of the proliferation of uterine cells, causing them to multiply rapidly, leading to cancer.

As for the main cause of uterine cancer, it is not yet known, but there are several factors that are expected to be related to it.

If you have one of these factors, it is not a condition for developing uterine cancer, and you may also not have any of these factors and develop it.

Risk factors:

• Age: Most women with uterine cancer are over 50 years old.
• Increased number of menstrual cycles: Women who have their menstrual cycle at an early age, at the age of 12, and continue after the age of 50, are more susceptible to developing uterine cancer.
• Lack of pregnancy or infertility: When the progesterone hormone increases, it helps protect against cancer, and when the estrogen hormone increases, it is a risk factor for cancer. In pregnancy, the proportion of progesterone increases, so the risk decreases. However, in cases of infertility, a hormonal disorder occurs, which increases the possibility of developing uterine cancer.
• Some breast cancer medications can cause uterine cancer as a side effect of treatment.

Is uterine cancer a hereditary disease?

Genes may play a role in developing uterine cancer, especially if there is a history of uterine cancer or Lynch syndrome, which is a disease syndrome resulting from a genetic defect that may cause cancer of the colon, rectum, and uterus.

If one of your family members has Lynch Syndrome, you should do a genetic test to be sure, and continue the examination every once in a while so that if cancer is found, it is at its beginning and you begin treatment for uterine cancer.

Although the genetic factor may be a cause of the disease, it is not a condition for that, as the percentage of the genetic factor does not exceed 5%. You can have someone in your family who has cancer and you do not have it.

Steps for diagnosing uterine cancer

• The doctor begins by doing a physical examination of the patient to look for any lumps in the body, and taking his medical history.
• In case of suspicion of cervical cancer, the doctor takes a sample of the tissue for examination, and in the case of endometrial cancer, the doctor takes a sample of endometrial tissue for examination.
• The doctor uses the speculum and inserts it through the vagina to look for any places where abnormal cell growth is observed. The speculum may contain a tool to remove samples from the uterus for examination.
• Transvaginal ultrasound examination: It is used to examine the uterus, vagina, fallopian tube, and bladder, and the doctor can examine the tumor through ultrasound.
• After diagnosing and confirming the presence of cancer, before starting treatment for uterine cancer, the doctor determines the stage of the cancer.

The earlier the diagnosis, the greater the chances of recovery. Oncology center At Al-Mousa Hospital For a comprehensive examination and accurate diagnosis of the condition of the uterus, with a specialized team providing care and support at every stage of treatment.

What are the stages of uterine cancer?

Doctors determine the stages of uterine cancer to determine the extent of the disease and determine the appropriate uterine cancer treatment.

1- Stages of endometrial cancer

It is divided into four stages. The first stage is the least dangerous, then the risk begins to increase as we move to another stage. The earlier we treat uterine cancer, the more we prevent the spread of the disease.

1. Stage I: The cancer is limited to the uterine lining only.
2. Stage II: The cancer has spread to the lining of the uterus only.
3. Stage III: The cancer has spread to the vagina, ovaries, and lymph nodes.
4. Stage 4: The cancer has spread to the bladder, rectum, or organs distant from the uterus, such as the lungs and bones.

2- Stages of cervical cancer

1. The first stage: It is called stage zero because it is a pre-cancerous stage in which abnormal growth of cells begins in the cervix but has not yet spread, but uterine cancer must be treated immediately because those cells may become cancerous cells.
2. Stage Two: The early stage of cancer. Cancer cells are growing but they have not spread yet.
3. Stage Three: The stage of advanced cervical cancer. Here the cancer spreads outside the uterus and may reach the vagina or rectum.
4. Stage Four: The stage of recurrent cervical cancer, in which the cancer may have been cured but has come back again, or it may have spread outside the pelvis to the liver or lungs, for example.

Read also: Symptoms of uterine and ovarian cancer

What is the treatment for uterine cancer?

Treatment methods for uterine cancer include:

Surgery

The place where the tumor is located, or if it has spread around it, is removed, and the doctor may perform one of the following procedures:

• Complete hysterectomy: The uterus, the ovaries or one of them, and the fallopian tubes or one of them are removed.
• Radical hysterectomy: The uterus, cervix, fallopian tube, ovaries, and some surrounding tissue are removed.

Chemotherapy for uterine cancer

It is used in the treatment of uterine cancer to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.

Radiation therapy

The types used in treating uterine cancer are external radiation and internal radiation.

 Hormone therapy

It slows the growth of cancer cells by reducing the level of hormones in the body.

Immunotherapy

It helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.

Endometrial cancer treatment

• The first stage: The first option at this stage is surgery, and after that only follow-up is required to ensure that the cancer has not returned. If the cancer is in a high-risk stage, radiation can be used after surgery to ensure that it is completely eliminated.
• If the woman wants to become pregnant, the surgery may be postponed, and treatment with progestin is given to reduce the tumor and get rid of it. She does an examination 6 months after treatment if she does not find cancer, then she can become pregnant.
• In some types of endometrial cancer, it may be a high-grade cancer that has spread, in which case surgery is performed, and then chemotherapy is performed on the uterus after surgery to ensure that the tumor is completely eliminated, and radiation can be used with them.
• The second stage: The uterus is completely removed, then radiation is used to eliminate any remaining cancer cells, and chemotherapy is possible if necessary.
• The third stage: The uterus is radically removed, followed by radiation, and chemotherapy may be needed.
• Stage IV or when the cancer returns again: Surgery is not used at this stage, and radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, and new medications are being tried.
• Chemotherapy and internal and external radiation are used to treat uterine cancer for people who cannot have surgery, and hormonal therapy for patients who do not want surgery and radiation.

Treatment of malignant fibroids

In the first and second stages of the disease, where the tumor is located inside the uterus only, the first treatment is surgery, after which radiation or chemotherapy is used.

In the third stage: The cancer spreads outside the uterus to the pelvic area. Surgery is used, followed by radiation and chemotherapy.

The fourth stage: At this stage, the disease has spread outside the pelvic area, so chemotherapy is used for the uterus at this stage, and surgery is not used in most cases.

FAQs

Is uterine cancer cured?

Yes, a patient with uterine cancer can be cured, especially if the cancer is in its early stages and treatment for uterine cancer has begun. The recovery rate varies depending on the stage of the disease, and this is what we will explain in detail in the next title.

What is the cure rate for uterine cancer?

The cure rate for uterine cancer varies depending on the stage at which uterine cancer was treated, but the average cure rate is 81%.

How long does a cervical cancer patient live?

No one can determine exactly how long a uterine cancer patient will live, but statistics are available that determine the survival rate from cervical cancer for five years or more after diagnosis.

In the first stage, the survival rate is 95%, in the second stage it is 75%, in the third stage it is 50%, and in the fourth stage it is 15%, which necessitates searching for a treatment for uterine cancer.

How to prevent cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer can be prevented by performing regular examinations such as a Pap smear, which can be repeated every two years. Even if any sign of the disease appears, cervical cancer can be treated easily because it is at its beginning.

And by taking human papillomavirus (HPV) serum because it is one of the most important causes of the disease.

If you want to be reassured and protect yourself from uterine cancer and undergo the necessary tests for it, or if you are looking for accurate diagnosis, treatment of uterine cancer and continuous follow-up, you can visit us at Al Mousa Specialist Hospital.