Cancer of the uterus

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Cancer of the uterus develops in the lining of the uterus (endometrium) and is thus also called endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer usually affects women after menopause.
It sometimes causes abnormal vaginal bleeding.
To diagnose this cancer, doctors remove a sample of tissue from the endometrium to be analyzed (biopsy).
Usually, the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes and sometimes the nearby lymph nodes are removed, often followed by radiation therapy and sometimes by chemotherapy.

(See also Overview of Female Reproductive System Cancers.)
Most cancers of the uterus begin in the lining of the uterus (endometrium) and are more precisely termed endometrial cancer (carcinoma). In the United States, it is the most common gynecologic cancer and the fourth most common cancer among women. This cancer usually develops after menopause, most often in women aged 50 to 60. Over 90% of cases occur in women over 50.
About 75 to 80% of endometrial cancers are adenocarcinomas, which develop from gland cells. Fewer than 5% of cancers in the uterus are sarcomas. Sarcomas develop from connective tissue and tend to be more aggressive.
Endometrial cancer is often classified as follows:

Type I cancers are more common, respond to estrogen, and are not very aggressive. They tend to occur in younger or obese women or in women going through perimenopause (the years just before and the year after the last menstrual period).
Type II cancers are more aggressive and tend to occur in older women. About 10% of endometrial cancers are type II.