If you have endometriosis, you may wonder if it is cancerous. If so, you should know that there are various treatment options, including surgery and chemotherapy. The treatments for this condition are highly individualized and depend on the specific type of cancer and its stage. Typically, doctors recommend hormone therapy, but there are also treatments that are safer for women with advanced disease. However, you should talk to your doctor before beginning treatment.
While endometriosis is not carcinogenic in itself, it can be a precursor lesion for ovarian cancer. Researchers recommend that clinicians know about this connection to avoid misdiagnosis. In addition, endometriosis is associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer than endometrial cancer. However, there are still a number of factors that make it difficult to link endometriosis to cancer.
In addition, there are also new findings on endometriosis that could lead to better prevention and diagnostic procedures. Endometrial cancer is not associated with a specific genetic trait, although women with endometriosis are more likely to develop certain types of ovarian cancer. It is important to note that the risk of cancer caused by endometriosis is less than one percent. The disease is highly treatable, though.
Treatment for endometrial cancer varies, depending on its grade, subtype, and location. Some patients have a stage when their cancer has spread to other parts of their bodies or has recurred after chemotherapy. The vast majority of patients with endometrial cancer receive surgery or radiation therapy. Radiation therapy can reduce the risk of the disease returning. Surgical treatment may also involve removing the uterus, cervix, and salpingo-oophorectomy.
A woman’s risk of developing endometrial cancer depends on age, habitus, and reproductive status. Age, infertility, and obesity all increase risk. The longer she uses estrogen-only hormones, the less likely she is to develop the disease. Those with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and Lynch syndrome (unrelated to hormones), may also increase her risk. In addition, menopause can increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer.
In a large database study, radiotherapy and surgery combined for treatment of advanced endometriosis are associated with increased survival rates. While primary surgery alone is the most effective treatment, chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy can help patients whose disease has spread to distant areas. Aside from chemotherapy, preoperative radiotherapy improves overall survival rates, and the results are similar. This study suggests that chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy may have a small but significant effect on the risk of recurrence.
The types of endometrioid cancers are low-grade type one and high-grade type two. They have similar epidemiologic aspects and clinical behaviors. Some have aberrant p53 IHC staining and exhibit SET morphology. While low-grade type one endometrioid cancers have a favorable prognosis, high-grade type 2 endometrioid cancers often metastasize via lymphatic systems, migrate through the fallopian lumens, and spread throughout the pelvis and abdomen.
