Uterine Cancer Causes and Treatment Methods

The uterine cancer is the abnormal growth of the cells in the uterus, the womb where the fetal development takes place.

The outer layer of the uterus is the endometrium which is affected by the cancer.

This uterine cancer stands fourth after the breast, lung and colon cancer which are the major cancer deaths in women. Fortunately if detected early the uterine cancer has a good recovery and survival rate.

Causes of Uterine Cancer

The older women between 55 and 70 years are at a high risk of developing this disease. Therefore the increasing age is considered as the risk factor for uterine cancer. Almost 6 percent of cancer cases in women are that of uterine cancer.

Women who are over weight and those who had no children in their life span, or who had few children, women who menstruated at an early age, those who had a late menopause, and women of high socioeconomic status are said to be at high risk. The major risk factors for developing the uterine cancer are associated with the hormones, especially the production of excess estrogen.

According to the recent studies the women who are under estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) for menopausal symptoms have a greater chance of developing the disease than women who do not take estrogens.

Also the use of birth control pills is said to decrease the risk of developing this cancer. The birth control pills with the combination of estrogen and progestin may be used for better protection. The longer the women uses these pills the better protection is attained.

Uterine Cancer Treatment

A number of factors are considered to determine the best uterine cancer treatment. Among these factors are the stage of the disease, the growth rate of the cancer, and the age and general health of the woman. Surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and chemotherapy are the standard uterine cancer treatment methods.

Surgery

This method of uterine cancer treatment is the best method for early stage uterine cancer. Through this method the majority of the visible cancer along with the surrounding tissue is removed.

However this uterine cancer treatment is performed in women who are healthy. Later after the surgical method of treatment the radiation therapy and the chemotherapy are used to attain more successful result. The surgeries performed are the hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy.

After the surgery is the cancer recurs the combination of external and internal radiation therapy are used for further treatment. If the uterine cancer has spread extensively or has recurred after treatment, progesterone a female hormone or chemotherapy may be recommended.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy method of uterine cancer treatment uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. This is generally given before or after the surgery for better results. Two types of radiation therapies may be used which include the external and the internal.

In the formal procedure the radiation may be given from a machine located outside the body and in the later the radioactive material may be placed inside the body.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer. Often, a combination of these methods is used. In some cases, the patient is referred to specialists in the different kinds of cancer treatment. The chemotherapy method of uterine cancer treatment is given in regular cycles.

Hormonal Therapy

This method is most suitable for patients whose health does not permit to undergo the surgical method of treating uterine cancer. In hormone therapy, female hormones are used to stop the growth of cancer cells.

Hormone therapy for uterine cancer treatment is sometimes used to slow the growth of cancer cells. For this purpose the progesterone supplements counteract these hormones controlling the spread of cancer.