Who Gets Uterine Cancer?

All women are at risk for uterine cancer, but the risk increases with age. Most uterine cancers are found in women who are going through or who have gone through menopause—the time of life when your menstrual periods stop.
Uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women in the United States and the most commonly diagnosed gynecologic cancer.†
In 2009 (the most recent year numbers are available)—

• 44,192 women in the United States were diagnosed with uterine cancer.*†
• 7,713 women in the United States died from uterine cancer.*†

*Incidence counts cover approximately 90% of the U.S. population; death counts cover approximately 100% of the U.S. population. Use caution when comparing incidence and death counts.
†Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2009 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2013. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.

Basic Information About Uterine Cancer

When cancer starts in the uterus, it is called uterine cancer. The uterus is the pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis (the area below your stomach and in between your hip bones). The uterus, also called the womb, is where the baby grows when a woman is pregnant. All women are at risk for uterine cancer, but the risk increases with age.

Uterine Cancer Risk Factors

There is no way to know for sure if you will get uterine cancer. Some women get it without being at high risk. However, several factors may increase the chance that you will get uterine cancer, including if you—

• Are older than 50.
• Are obese (have an abnormally high, unhealthy amount of body fat).
• Take estrogen by itself (without progesterone) for hormone replacement during menopause.
• Have had trouble getting pregnant, or have had fewer than five periods in a year before starting menopause.
• Take tamoxifen, a drug used to treat certain types of breast cancer.
• Have close family members who have had uterine, colon, or ovarian cancer.

If one or more of these things is true for you, it does not mean you will get uterine cancer. But you should speak with your doctor to see if he or she recommends more frequent exams.

Uterine Cancer Prevention

There is no known way to prevent uterine cancer. But these things may reduce your chance of getting uterine cancer—

• Using birth control pills.
• Maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active.
• Taking progesterone, if you are taking estrogen.

Ask your doctor about how often you should be checked for uterine cancer, especially if you think that you have factors that increase your chance of getting it.

Symptoms of Uterine Cancer

Uterine cancer may cause vaginal discharge or bleeding that is not normal for you. Bleeding may be abnormal because of how heavy it is or when it happens, such as after you have gone through menopause, between periods, or any other bleeding that is longer or heavier than is normal for you. Uterine cancer may also cause other symptoms, such as pain or pressure in your pelvis.
If you have bleeding that is not normal for you, especially if you have already gone through menopause, see a doctor right away. Also see a doctor if you have any other signs or symptoms for two weeks or longer. These things may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your doctor.

Uterine Cancer Screening

There are no simple and reliable ways to test for uterine cancer in women who do not have any signs or symptoms. The Pap test does not screen for uterine cancer. The only cancer the Pap test screens for is cervical cancer.
Screening is when a test is used to look for a disease before there are any symptoms. Diagnostic tests are used when a person has symptoms. The purpose of diagnostic tests is to find out, or diagnose, what is causing the symptoms. Diagnostic tests also may be used to check a person who is considered at high risk for cancer.
Since there is no simple and reliable way to screen for any gynecologic cancers except for cervical cancer, it is especially important to recognize warning signs and learn what you can do to reduce your risk.
If you have symptoms or believe you may be at high risk for uterine cancer, your doctor may perform an endometrial biopsy or a transvaginal ultrasound. These tests can be used to help diagnose or rule out uterine cancer. Your doctor may do this test in his or her office, or may refer you to another doctor. The doctor might perform more tests if the endometrial biopsy does not provide enough information, or if symptoms continue.

Uterine Cancer Treatment
On This Page

• Types of Treatment
• Clinical Trials
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine

If your doctor says that you have uterine cancer, ask to be referred to a gynecologic oncologist—a doctor who has been trained to treat cancers like this. This doctor will work with you to create a treatment plan.

Types of Treatment

There are several ways to treat uterine cancer. The type of treatment a woman receives depends on the type of uterine cancer and how far it has spread. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation.

• Surgery: Doctors remove cancer tissue in an operation.
• Radiation: Radiation uses high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to try to kill the cancer cells and stop them from spreading. The rays are aimed at the part of the body where the cancer is.
• Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy removes hormones or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing. Hormones are substances made by glands in the body and circulated in the bloodstream.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy may cause side effects, but these often get better or go away when chemotherapy is over. Chemotherapy drugs may be given in several forms, including pills or through an IV (intravenous) injection.

Different treatments may be provided by different doctors on your medical team.

• Gynecologic oncologists are doctors who have been trained to treat cancers of a woman's reproductive system.
• Surgeons are doctors who perform operations.
• Medical oncologists are doctors who are experts in cancer and treat cancers with medicines.
• Radiation oncologists are doctors who treat cancers with radiation.

Visit the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for more information about treatments for the most common types of uterine cancer: endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma.

 

Clinical Trials

If you have uterine cancer, you may want to take part in a clinical trial. Clinical trials study new treatment options to see if they are safe and effective. Visit the sites listed below for more information about clinical trials.

• NIH Clinical Research Trials and You (National Institutes of Health)
• Educational Materials About Clinical Trials (National Cancer Institute)
• Search for Clinical Trials (National Cancer Institute)
• ClinicalTrials.gov (National Institutes of Health)

 

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

For information, visit NCI's Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Be sure to talk to your doctor about your use of complementary and alternative medicine.

Uterine Cancer Statistics

Uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women in the United States and the most commonly diagnosed gynecologic cancer.†
In 2009 (the most recent year numbers are available)—

• 44,192 women in the United States were diagnosed with uterine cancer.*†
• 7,713 women in the United States died from uterine cancer.*†

*Incidence counts cover approximately 90% of the U.S. population; death counts cover approximately 100% of the U.S. population. Use caution when comparing incidence and death counts.
†Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2009 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2013. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.

What CDC Is Doing About Uterine Cancer
Research Articles

CDC has published articles disseminated for the public, health professionals, and researchers. For a complete list of citations, see Cancer Research.

National Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Campaign

In collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health, CDC established the Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer campaign to increase awareness and knowledge among women and health care providers about the five major gynecologic cancers: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar. This national campaign is supported by the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005, or Johanna's Law, which was unanimously passed by the U.S. House and Senate (109th Congress) in December of 2006, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 12, 2007.

National Program of Cancer Registries

CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) collects surveillance data for all cancers, including uterine and other gynecologic cancers. Data collected through the NPCR often are used by states to create burden assessments that guide program planning, outreach, and education efforts.