Endometrial cancer overview
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Endometrial cancer refers to several types of malignancy which arise from the endometrium, or lining of the uterus. Endometrial cancers are the most common gynecologic cancers in the United States, with over 35,000 women diagnosed each year in the U.S. The most common subtype, endometrioid adenocarcinoma, typically occurs within a few decades of menopause, is associated with excessive estrogen exposure, often develops in the setting of endometrial hyperplasia, and presents most often with vaginal bleeding. Because symptoms usually bring the disease to medical attention early in its course, endometrial cancer is only the third most common cause of gynecologic cancer death (behind ovarian and cervical cancer). A hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) is the most common therapeutic approach.
Endometrial cancer may sometimes be referred to as uterine cancer. However, different cancers may develop from other tissues of the uterus, including cervical cancer, sarcoma of the myometrium, and trophoblastic disease.