Other histologic subtypes include adenosquamous, clear cell, and papillary serous carcinomas. The remaining sarcomas are made up of heterologous tumors - tumors that contain histologic components foreign to the uterus, such as rhabdomyosarcomas, osteosarcomas, and chondrosarcomas. This chapter will focus on endometrial cancer but will briefly address uterine sarcomas. After doubling in the early 1970s, the incidence has remained fairly constant. There were 6,400 predicted deaths in 1999.
Endometrial cancer is primarily a disease of postmenopausal women.
The average age at diagnosis is approximately 60 years. These women invariably have specific risk factors such as morbid obesity, chronic anovulation, and hereditary syndromes. Endometrial cancer is more common in white women when compared to black women. Uterine sarcomas, regardless of the histologic subtype, are more common in black women. Leiomyosarcomas tend to occur more often between the ages of 30-50, as compared to carcinosarcomas and endometrial stromal sarcomas, which have much higher incidence after age 50.