It's also among the most curable. If discovered early, this slow-growing cancer is likely to be confined to a small area, making treatment effective and the survival rate high. The 5-year survival rate is 96 percent if the cancer is discovered at an early stage. Endometrial cancer begins in the endometrium, the lining of your uterus.
Estrogen stimulates growth of the endometrium.
Replacing estrogen alone after menopause may increase your risk of endometrial cancer. This lowers your risk. If you develop symptoms, your physician can do an endometrial biopsy, removing a small piece of tissue from your uterine lining for laboratory analysis. This may be done in your physician's office, and usually you don't need anesthesia. In this procedure, tissue is scraped from the lining of your uterus and examined under a microscope.