Symptoms Of Uterine Cancer

In women with early uterine cancer the most common first symptoms are abnormal vaginal bleeding patterns.

About 3/4 of women who develop uterine cancer are postmenopausal, which makes it relatively easy to detect uterine cancer as women in menopause normally have no menstrual periods. However, any abnormal bleeding has to be taken seriously and the doctor needs to check this out in an attempt to detect the cancer early. Some women observe the abnormal bleeding as if it were "an irregular period" that somehow would normalize itself; in the meantime the cancer is invading deeper making it so much more difficult to treat it effectively.

At other times the vaginal discharge may only be serosanguinous in nature (not frank blood). If the cancer grows towards the cervical canal, there may be a narrowing ("cervical stenosis") that prevents the blood from flowing out and sometimes the contents of blood inside the uterus can get infected as well (called"pyometria").

In this case the patient would have a fever and pelvic pain. Ultrasonography would show the condition and a referral to a gynecologist would initiate further investigations and treatments.

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Disclaimer:

This outline is only a teaching aid to patients and should stimulate you to ask the right questions when seeing your doctor. However, the responsibility of treatment stays in the hands of your doctor and you.

References:

1. Cancer: Principles &Practice of Oncology.4th edition. Edited by Vincent T. DeVita, Jr. et al. Lippincott, Philadelphia,PA, 1993. Vol. 1. Chapter on gynecological tumors.

2. Cancer: Principles&Practice of Oncology. 5th edition, volume 1. Edited by Vincent T. DeVita, Jr. et al. Lippincott-Raven Publ., Philadelphia,PA, 1997. Chapter on gynecological tumors.

3. B. Sears: "The age-free zone". Regan Books, Harper Collins, 2000.

4. E Weiderpass et al. Cancer Causes Control 2000 Feb;11(2):185-192.

5. S Shibutani et al. Cancer Res 2001 May 15;61(10):3925-3931.

6. DB Fournier et al. Gynecol Oncol 2001 Jun;81(3):366-372.

7. DS McMeekin et al. Gynecol Oncol 2001 May;81(2):273-278.

8. LA Katz et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001 May;184(6):1071-1073.

9. B Bonanni et al. Breast J 2000 Oct;6(5):317-323.

10. MG Jain et al. Eur J Epidemiol 2000;16(10):899-905.

Last Modified: Jan. 28, 2008