What Is Uterine Cancer?

In cancer of the uterus, also called endometrial cancer, cancer cells are present in the inner lining of the uterus. The inner lining of the uterus is called the endometrium. Normally, the endometrium undergoes a series of changes during a woman's monthly menstrual cycle, in preparation for a potential pregnancy. The ovaries release hormones that initiate these changes. If pregnancy does not occur, the endometrial lining is shed during menstruation. A very small percentage of cancers grow in the muscular and connective tissues of the uterus. These tumors are called uterine sarcomas.

In the United States, cancer of the endometrium is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. The American Cancer Society estimates that 41,200 new cases of endometrial cancer will be diagnosed in 2006. About 7,350 women in the United States will die in 2006 from endometrial cancer. When all cases of endometrial cancer are considered, the five-year survival rate is 84 percent. Survival rates are even higher when the disease is discovered and treated in its earliest stage.

Sources:

American Cancer Society. Endometrial Cancer Resource Center.

Dollinger M, Rosenbaum, EH, Tempero M., et al. Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, Fourth Edition, Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002.

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.