A woman considering hormone replacement therapy should discuss the benefits and risks with her doctor. Regular follow-up visits with a health professional while taking estrogen replacement therapy may improve the chances of detecting and treating uterine cancer in the early stages should it develop. Scientists believe that too much estrogen may be the reason why overweight women are more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as women of normal weight. Because fat converts certain hormones into a form of estrogen, women with excess fat produce higher levels of estrogen. Diabetes and high blood pressure .
Some studies suggest that diabetes and high blood pressure increase the risk of uterine cancer.
Because these conditions often occur in overweight people, researchers cannot be certain whether the conditions themselves or the relationship between body fat and estrogen levels increases uterine cancer risk. Other cancers . Women with a history of colon cancer, rectal cancer, or breast cancer have a slightly higher risk of developing uterine cancer than do most other women. Women who have had uterine cancer also have an increased risk of developing certain other cancers. An increased risk of developing uterine cancer has been found in women taking the drug tamoxifen for the treatment of breast cancer.