Current clinical trials are investigating the role of chemotherapy, drugs used to kill cancer cells, and radiation therapy followed by chemotherapy in this group of patients. The gynecologist should monitor the patient following the completion of therapy every four to six months with physical examination including pelvic examination. The most common site for a recurrence of endometrial cancer is the top of the vagina and the recurrent tumor may manifest as vaginal bleeding or discharge. Over 70 percent of women with endometrial cancer are cured with surgery and other therapy. The prognosis is even more favorable for those women who are diagnosed early when the cancer is confined to the inner one-half of the muscular wall of the uterus.
Cervical cancer arises from cells on the opening of the womb and usually is a preventable disease.
Cervical dysplasia or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, an abnormality of the cells on the surface of the cervix, is the precursor to cancer of the cervix. It can be suspected on Pap smear and is diagnosed by an office procedure called colposcopy where the cervix is visualized with a magnifying device that allows accurate biopsies of abnormal areas. Once dysplasia is diagnosed, treatment usually can be initiated with an office procedure. When dysplasia is not diagnosed and treated, it can develop into a cancer of the cervix that is capable of spreading beyond the cervix and involving other organs in the body. Most cases of cervical dysplasia and cancer of the cervix are caused by the human papilloma virus which is a sexually transmitted virus.