What Are the Symptoms of Uterine Cancer?

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases in the world. The body cells start functioning in an abnormal way in the person suffering from cancer and the tumors are formed in the affected area of the body. Breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine cancers are those types of cancers that target only the women as these are related to the female body organs.

If we talk about the uterine cancer, it is in fact related to the very important organ of the female reproductive system called the uterus and usually occurs in the women between the ages of 50 to 70 years. This cancer has different types including uterine sarcomas, endometrial cancer and cervical cancer. Each type affects different parts and tissues of the female uterus e.g. endometrial cancer (also called endometrial carcinoma) is related to the uterus lining or endometrium. The uterine sarcoma (also called leiomyosarcomas) affects the muscular layer of the uterus and cervical cancer is related to the lower portion of the uterus.

Among these types, the endometrial cancer is one that is generally referred to as the uterine cancer. The endometrial cancer is so deadly that it is believed to be the third most common gynecologic cancer (after ovarian and cervical cancers) that causes death to the women.

This cancer usually affects the women after the occurrence of the menopause (the phase in a woman's life when menstrual cycle gets stopped). There are some common symptoms of this cancer though these may differ to some extent from person to person.

The most general symptom of this cancer in a woman is the abnormal vaginal bleeding even after her menopause. However the excessive menstrual bleeding in a woman in her premenopausal period shouldn't be ignored too. The other symptoms include the unusual non-bloody vaginal discharge, lower abdominal pain, abnormal weight loss, difficult and painful urination and an extreme pain during intercourse.

Every woman is needed to know about the basic symptoms of the uterine cancer so that if she finds any of them in herself, she may urgently contact her physician. The importance of seeking the timely medical advice after finding some of these symptoms is very high as it may help to diagnose the uterine cancer at some early stage and you must know that this cancer can be treated effectively at the early stages. Besides, if the endometrial cancer is diagnosed after the full medical check up of a woman, the proper measure can be taken at the right time in order to avoid further complications.

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Uterine Cancer Symptoms

Endometrial Cancer or Uterine Cancer is caused by cancer cell growth directly on the lining of the uterus. Most women mistake the vaginal bleeding to be caused by menopause. This misconception is quite common.

We are going to see some symptoms that may or may not indicate uterine cancer. They may be caused due to other maladies too. To confirm whether any of these symptoms actually leads to uterine cancer, you should go to a doctor to confirm.

Some of the symptoms that have been observed in uterine cancer patients:

* Pain in the pelvic region.
* Pain while urinating.
* Bleeding from the vaginal region.
* Difficulty while urinating.
* Discharge from the vagina.
* Painful sensation while indulging in sexual intercourse.

Studies have shown that bleeding from the vagina is the most common type of symptoms that have been observed. Initially, there might not be bleeding, rather a discharge. This will turn to bleeding later.

Types who are most prone to uterine cancer:

* Women aged 50 years or more.
* Endometrial hyperplasia.
* Women who have an increase in their hormones. These may be women who have fewer children, who have had ovarian tumors or undergone therapy for estrogen replacement.

The treatment is not the same for every woman. Many factors have to be taken into consideration. Factors like age, advance of the cancer etc. have to be kept in mind.

Treatment is either one or a combination of these - surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

In the initial stages, if the spread of the cancer is not that advanced, doctors will try to completely remove the cancerous cells from the woman's uterus. If the disease has progressed, generally there is some surgery along with chemo or radiotherapy. This helps to stop the growth of cancerous cells in other parts of the body.

The good part about uterine cancer is that if it is detected early, then there is a very good chance of curing it completely. Patients are also advised to take part in trials which can sometimes give very good results.

Alternative treatments also exist for uterine cancer:

* Following special types of diets.
* Acupuncture.
* Meditating also helps.
* Taking sufficient quantity of vitamins.
* Visualization and Spiritual healing.

There are many recorded cases where women have felt that alternative treatments have helped them immensely. What is not recommended is to mix and match. It is always better to stick to a single plan of action - go the traditional way or the alternative, but not both.

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Uterine Cancer Symptoms and How to Deal With Them

Uterine cancer is a type of carcinoma that appears in the female reproductive organs. It is the fourth most frequently occurring cancer after breast cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer. Uterine cancer is considered as the most common cancer in women and fortunately it is curable, too. In Canada, about 3,900 women are diagnosed with this disease each year and the survival rate is more than 80%. The survival rate could be much greater if the carcinoma could be detected earlier. Most cases are called endometrial cancers because they grow in the inner lining of the uterus, the endometrium.

Learning the symptoms is one of the ways to detect the cancer earlier. Unfortunately, sometimes it is hard to notice the symptoms as they often mimic other ailments. Most often, uterine cancer presents no symptoms. If symptoms exist, they usually appear when it has reached an advanced stage but this condition varies from woman to woman. Here are some uterine cancer symptoms you can learn:

1. Women who suffering from this disease may experience abnormal vaginal bleeding; it can be heavy or only light bleeding during the month.

2. When you find unusual heavy vaginal discharges, it may be a symptom of uterine cancer. The discharge may often be foul smelling or contain mucus.

3. If should notice pelvic pain which is not related to the usual menstrual cycle, it can be a symptom of this disease. The pain may range from mild to severe and can last for hours.

4. Bleeding after douching, sexual intercourse or between your periods is another symptom. Sexual activities can cause irritation of the cervix and finally cause bleeding.

How to Deal With the Symptoms

One common question that women often ask is how to deal with uterine cancer symptoms. Well, there are many ways you can cope with these symptoms. First, you can take careful note of symptoms that you are experiencing. Make a list of the symptoms and add additional notes such as the frequency of occurrence, the time when you have them, and the degree of pain experienced. After that, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the symptoms. Give your notes to the doctor and go over the list with him. It best to be honest with your doctor and clearly answer his questions. Once you have discussed the symptoms with him, now work out coping strategies with him. Based on your symptoms, your doctor will prescribe some medications such as a painkiller for the pelvic pains or antibiotics for vaginal infections. Make sure that you follow your doctor's guidance to control the growth of the cancer.

To find out more information about Uterine Cancer Symptoms please visit http://symptomsof-disease.com/2011/10/uterine-cancer-symptoms-and-daily-habits/. You will find some useful information and tips.

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The Complications of Uterine Cancer

Cancer of the reproductive system for women is not a new condition. The first medically documented cases of uterine cancer symptoms. The most ancient documented case of cancer comes from Egypt in the year 1500 BC when a papyrus record reported eight cases of tumors occurring. The tumors were treated by cauterization with an instrument that the ancient Egyptian's called a "fire drill" and removal of the tumors was the only treatment available at that time.

In our modern time the instance of uterine cancer is approximately 1-2% in women aged 30-60 years. The method of treatment has not varied much since ancient times with the addition of new radiation and chemotherapy, however in most cases the affected areas are removed surgically. The best recovery result for a patient suffering uterine cancer symptoms where the cancer has been confirmed remains removal of the uterus as well as any other reproductive organs that the cancer may have spread to, including the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments typically follow surgery in order to prevent any remaining mutated cells from spreading to other areas of the body. The complication of treating uterine cancer symptoms is that the cancer is located closely to the abdominal lymph nodes. Once a cancer enters the lymphatic system it becomes virtually impossible to prevent its spread throughout other areas of the body and inevitably the patient succumbs to the cancer at stage four of metastasis. At stage four most cancers are considered to be terminal.

Uterine cancer symptoms are also complicated because while they do manifest themselves as measurable notable symptoms, these symptoms tend to exactly mirror those of regular menses. So menstrual cramping, bleeding and discomfort may be a familiar experience for most women in their fertile years and they are hallmarks of uterine cancer symptoms. They may not be noted as anything different or suspect to further investigation given the patients familiarity with that particular symptom. Other symptoms of bloating or heavy bleeding, mood disorders (depression or anxiety) or irregular cycles can be caused by a myriad of other conditions and again, may fail to red flag the more serious condition of this cancer symptoms.

Certain types of birth control methods may also mask or lighten the severity of this cancer to an extent that they are not problematic until the cancer has escalated to a stage two or stage three cancer levels. It is important to note that in the cases of all cancers early detection is key to positive treatment outcomes and patient survival. If symptoms fail to highlight a series concern prompting in depth investigation is it unlikely that the early window of detection will be achieved for the patient, increasing the morbidity rate of uterine cancer symptoms.

For its ability to mask the symptoms as other more normal symptoms of regular menstruation uterine cancer is also known as one of the "silent killers" in the family of cancers. More research is needed to develop early detection and screening for uterine cancer symptoms.

Find more information on uterine cancer symptoms here.

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Uterine Cancer Survival Rate

A Uterine Cancer Survival Rate is measured based on a large scale of people with the same condition/disease. Patients must bear in mind that no two cases are alike and the results of the studies, although reliable, may not accurately be the same with yours.

A Uterine Cancer Survival Rate is the average percentage of the patient to extend their lives up to 5 years soon after the diagnosis is confirmed. This doesn't mean that all of those who participated in the survey had the same chances. Some of them actually lived more than 5 or 10 years despite the cancer.

The earlier the cancer is detected, the better the prognosis and the higher the Uterine Cancer Survival Rate. This is true not just for uterine cancer but to most cancers. If your doctor told you that you only have 50% chances to live, this could mean two things - in a five-year period, you may live less than 2 and a half year or more than that.

There has been a study reporting that uterine cancer is more common to African American than to Caucasian American. Uterine Cancer Survival Rate is also quite higher among the latter than the former.

In a five-year period:

Caucasian Women have about 86% survival percentage.

African American Women have about 61% survival percentage.

Although the reason isn't exactly established, the researchers believed that it has something to do with the higher number of pregnancies (gravida) of African American women compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Food choices and lifestyle preferences are also somewhat related to this issue.

In most cancer cases, the earlier the stage, the higher the survival rate. At stage 0 or 1, the cancer survival rate is at its highest at 96%. When the cancer reaches stage 2 or 3, expect a lower rate of survival at 66%. This will drastically lower at the last stage when the cancer has spread out to other organs of the body such as the ovaries, the intestines, liver and etc. At the stage 4, the survival percentage may just be as low as 25 percent which in a 5-year period is technically just around a year and some months.

Fortunately, most uterine cancer cases are detected as early as stage 1, when the cancer has not yet proliferated and it's easier to remove. Only around 16% of the patients are diagnosed when the cancer is already at its 3rd stage and a lower number is diagnosed at the 4th stage. Therefore, treatment may still be able to help the patient survive up to 5 years of more.

Determining your uterine cancer survival rate may be an important aspect of a patient's will to survive. You may know more by visiting Cancer Survival Rates.

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Uterine Cancer Survival Rate - Dare To Know Your Chances

A Uterine cancer survival rate refers to the percentage of people who were reported still living after being diagnosed with the cancer about 5 yrs ago.

Endometrial carcinoma or Uterine Cancer is the most common malignancy of the female population. Each year, there are about 40,300 new cases diagnosed with this type of cancer, although in many occasions (around 75%), the diagnosis is established when the tumor is confined to the body of the uterus, therefore, many tumors can be cured. The 7,000 annual deaths caused by the cancer mean that this tumor ranks as the seventh leading cause of cancer death in women. It is primarily a neoplasm of postmenopausal women, although there are 25% of cases occurring in women under 50 years and 5% in women under 40 years. It is a predominantly common in Eastern Europe and the U.S. but quite rare in Asia.

Phenotypic traits and risk factors common in patients with endometrial cancer are obesity, menstrual disorders, a low fertility rate, late menopause, lack of ovulation and bleeding after menopausal. The risk is doubled in women taking tamoxifen to treat or prevent breast cancer. The maximum age of onset of endometrial carcinoma is the sixth and seventh decades of life. The symptoms are: abnormal vaginal discharge (90%), abnormal bleeding (80%), usually postmenopausal and vaginal discharge (10%). The study of patients with endometrial cancer may require a history and physical and gynecological examination, followed by endometrial biopsy or dilation of the cervix with fractional curettage. It may require an invasive procedure or minor surgery to establish the extent and degree of myometrial invasion or determine the staging. You have to take samples of peritoneal fluid, to explore the abdomen and pelvis, and perform a pelvic lymphadenectomy. As of today, around 74% of the patients are in stage I, 13% in stage II, 9% stage III, and 3% stage IV.

Uterine Cancer Survival rates at five years are as follows: Stage I: 89%, stage II: 80%, stage III: 30%, and stage IV: 9%.

A superficial invasion of the uterus (Stage I) can be treated with chemotherapy, but if the invasion is a bit larger, your doctor may suggest a radical hysterectomy or preoperative radiotherapy followed by extrafascial hysterectomy. About 15% of women with endometrial cancer are in stage II and the treatment depends on the intensity of this invasion. When the process has spread outside the uterus, but remains within the pelvis (stage III), treatment usually consists of surgery plus radiation. Patients whose cancer is only confined in the ovary and fallopian tubes, outcome with this treatment is quite high (80% uterine cancer survival rate at five years). Other stage III patients with a tumor spread beyond the Annexes and those with serous endometrial carcinoma have a significantly worse prognosis (uterine cancer survival rate of 15% at five years).

Want to know more about Uterine Cancer Survival Rate? Check out Cancer Survival Rates and get the latest update about cancer.

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