Known to all as the source of new life. But it can also be a source of another kind of new life. Cancer of the uterus strikes 37,000 women per year. The mortality rate has more than doubled in the last ten years. The most common type of uterine cancer is cancer of the uterine wall, or endometrium.
Endometrial cancer is thought to be caused by hormone imbalances.
Prevention, early detection and aggressive treatment can materially reduce the risk of death from endometrial cancer. The risk of developing this disease is highly matched with total body weight, percentage overweight, and body mass index. Estrogen replacement therapy, when given without progesterone, also increases risk, and so does long-term use of Tamoxifen, which is taken to treat or prevent breast cancer. Although somewhat inconclusive, there is some evidence that a history of use of oral contraceptives reduces the risk of endometrial cancer. Most uterine cancers are diagnosed as a result of abnormal vaginal bleeding, but recently, increasing numbers of cases are diagnosed by vaginal ultrasound, which may or may not have been performed because of abnormal bleeding.