The symptoms of endometrium cancer may not be very familiar to you. Nonetheless, the fact that you may experience pain and discomfort when the endometrium is touched may be a sign that the condition has progressed to the advanced stage. There are several options to deal with these symptoms. Listed below are some treatments for endometrial cancer. Among these treatments are chemotherapy and surgery. Surgical treatment is the most common form of treatment for this cancer and it has the highest cure rate. During this surgery, the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries are removed, as well as some of the pelvic lymph nodes. The cancer may also spread to the lungs, liver, or other organs, and a chest X-ray may also be performed to detect its spread.
Patients with endometrial cancer should be closely monitored to determine if the cancer has returned. Treatment for endometrial cancer is highly effective when caught in its early stages. Follow-up should be performed every three to six months for the first two years, and then yearly if everything is normal. Make sure you notify your healthcare team if you have any symptoms, and go to all follow-up appointments. There is a small chance of recurrence of endometrial cancer, but the risk is very low – about 40% of cases are local and 60% are distant.
Bleeding is another symptom of endometrial cancer. Approximately nine out of every ten women diagnosed with endometrial cancer experience abnormal vaginal bleeding before and after menopause. Symptoms of bleeding in this stage of the disease can also be caused by hormone therapy. Bleeding during a woman’s menstrual cycle may be normal, but in the presence of blood in the stool or urine, this should be immediately investigated by a healthcare provider.
Some of the other symptoms of endometriosis include pelvic or lower abdominal pain, especially during menstruation, and painful bowel movements. Some women experience these symptoms continuously, while others experience them only occasionally. Other women, however, have no noticeable symptoms. Moreover, bowel or bladder symptoms can accompany the pain, and blood in the urine and vagina may indicate that the condition has progressed to the stage of endometriosis.
A doctor may perform a biopsy after noticing symptoms. A thin tube is inserted through the vagina and the cervix to sample the endometrium for biopsy. An anti-inflammatory medication can be taken for pain and swelling after the procedure. A doctor may also perform a procedure called dilation and curettage, which opens up the uterus and removes a small piece of endometrium.
The risk factors of endometrial cancer are not completely understood. Many factors are associated with increased estrogen levels. Women who enter menopause later in life, are more susceptible. Women who began menstruating early or whose menstrual cycles are late are also at higher risk. This is due to increased estrogen levels in the body and the lack of adequate progesterone. Moreover, obesity and hormone replacement therapy can also increase estrogen levels in the body.
