The uterus (an upside-down pear-shaped organ) is a deep female reproductive organ located in the pelvis, commonly known as the womb. Three separate parts make up the uterus: fundus- the top part, corpus- the middle part and cervix- the bottom part. The main function of the uterus is to support fetal development until birth.
Uterine cancer usually occurs after menopause. Exact cause of uterine cancer is still not known, however there are few factors which can increase the causes cancer , these include:
Causes
- Women who are obese and have irregular or infrequent menses are more likely to develop cancer of the endometrium
- Women who have taken certain forms of hormone replacement therapy are at a higher risk. These include women taking hormonal therapy for endometrial overgrowth (hyperplasia), Infertility (women who unable to conceive) and obesity
- Some evidence show late menopause or early menarche also causes uterine cancer
- Therapeutic radiation of the pelvis and family history are some of the other factors that can increase the cancer risk
symptoms
Few of the most common symptoms include:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding, ranging from a watery and blood-streaked flow to a flow that contains more blood
- Vaginal bleeding during or after menopause
- Vaginal discharge- pink watery to dark foul smelling
- For premenopausal women- menorrhagia or abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB)
- Pain in the pelvic area and pain during sexual intercourse
- Difficulty or pain while urinating
Treatment
Uterine Cancer Treatment choice depends on where the cancer is and how much it has grown. You may have more than one type of endometrial cancer treatment for yourself. This choice depends on the size of the cancer and how the cells display themselves under the microscope. Cancer of the uterus is often diagnosed early before it spreads and can be treated surgically.