It is estimated that there are about 35,000 new cases of endometrial cancer every year in the United States, resulting in 4,000 - 5,000 deaths per year.
Endometrial cancer is considered an estrogen-dependent disease.
Estrogen is a hormone that is secreted by the ovaries. It plays an important role in the development of a woman's reproductive system and is largely responsible for the physiologic changes that occur during menstruation, puberty, and pregnancy. Progesterone is another hormonal substance regularly secreted by the ovaries that plays an important role in a woman's reproductive physiology. Normally, both estrogen and progesterone are secreted in certain proportions. Chronic exposure to estrogen, without the normally accompanying balancing effects of progesterone, is considered the major risk of endometrial cancer and likely plays an actual causal role in the development of the disease.