Since cancer usually involves several genes, the absence of the gene tested for doesn't guarantee you won't get the cancer. If you do have the particular gene, it doesn't mean you will definitely get the disease, but you should be sure to schedule regular screening exams. The National Cancer Institute has awarded Fox Chase Cancer Center a grant for a study focusing on breast-cancer risk among Jewish women and how best to educate women about this risk. Gynecological Cancers Women should start having regular gynecological exams by age 18, or sooner if they are sexually active. Cancer of the uterus is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, the fourth leading kind of cancer among women.
Most uterine cancers develop in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus.
Endometrial cancer accounts for nearly 34,000 cancer cases annually. It usually occurs after age 50, most often between ages 58 and 60. Yet too many women stop seeing their gynecologist after they pass child-bearing age. An annual pelvic exam is just as important for a woman whose family is complete as it is for younger women. The only symptom of endometrial cancer is abnormal bleeding or discharge.