Cancer of the uterus forms in the endometrium and is the most common female malignancy in the pelvis. It occurs primarily in postmenopausal women. Two to three percent of women develop this type of cancer in their lifetime. Women who use oral contraceptives appear to have a reduced risk of uterine cancer. A breast cancer fighting medication called tamoxifen, which is also a hormone, may slightly increase the risk of uterine cancer 2.
Cervical cancer is the third most common gynecological malignancy of the pelvis.
Figure 4 - Lymphatic drainage of the uterus in the presence of carcinoma of the cervix. Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecological malignancy of the pelvis, but more women die from ovarian cancer than from uterine or cervical cancer. Cancer of the Fallopian tube is very rare. This is the most common reason for a hysterectomy. Figure 6a - Small area of endometriosis on the pelvic wall as seen through the laproscope.