What is uterine cancer, the causes of uterine cancer, the classification of uterine cancer, the symptoms of uterine cancer

The thing people fear most in their lives is getting sick, especially cancer. As we all know, cancer is quite difficult to treat. Cancers like uterine cancer may still be curable if discovered in time. However, if discovered too late, or if the disease is not promptly checked and treated at the hospital and is not taken seriously, it will be very difficult to treat in the late stages. Different types of uterine cancer are treated differently. So, what are the classifications of uterine cancer? Let’s learn more about it below.

What is uterine cancer

Uterine cancer is obviously a cancer that occurs in the uterus. Female friends must pay attention to it. Not only should they undergo examinations and treatments, but they should also take preventive measures. Uterine cancer is divided into many types, but few women know what uterine cancer is, let alone its classification. Let us learn more about this disease below.

Uterine body cancer is also called endometrial adenocarcinoma because it often originates from the endometrial glands. It is more common in postmenopausal women, with the peak age of onset being 55 to 60 years old. In my country, the incidence of uterine cancer ranks third among malignant tumors of the female reproductive organs, after cervical cancer and ovarian cancer. The incidence rate has been on the rise in recent years. Uterine body cancer is a group of malignant tumors that occur in the endometrium. It is also called endometrial cancer and is one of the common malignant tumors of the reproductive tract in women. It can occur at any age, with an average age of about 55 years old. 50% to 70% of the cases occur after menopause. Tumor tissue originating from endometrial glands is called endometrial adenocarcinoma, which accounts for about 80% of uterine cancer.

Causes of uterine cancer

Uterine body cancer is more common in women with delayed menopause, functional uterine bleeding, polycystic ovaries, ovarian gonadal stromal tumors (such as granulosa cell tumors, etc.) and long-term estrogen use after menopause. This shows that long-term exposure to endogenous or exogenous estrogen to stimulate the endometrium without cyclical progesterone suppression may be one of the factors leading to this disease.

Uterine cancer is more common in women with obesity, diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, and hypertension, which some people call the "triad" of uterine cancer. It often occurs in unmarried, childless or those who have few children, which may be related to the longer time the endometrium is stimulated by estrogen. The incidence of uterine cancer is also increased in women with a family history of cancer, indicating that this tumor may be related to genetics.

Classification of uterine corpus cancer

Based on the extent of cancer tissue involvement, the clinical stages of endometrial cancer are as follows:

Stage I: cancer is confined to the uterine body;

Stage II: cancer tissue involves the uterine body and cervix;

Stage III cancer has spread outside the uterus but has not yet invaded tissue outside the pelvis.

In stage IV, the cancer has spread beyond the pelvic cavity and has involved the bladder and rectal mucosa.

The five-year survival rate after surgery for stage I patients is close to 90%, while that for stage II drops to 30%-50%, and for advanced patients is less than 20%.

Symptoms of uterine cancer

1. Vaginal bleeding

Persistent or irregular vaginal bleeding occurs after menopause; those who have not yet reached menopause may experience excessive menstruation or irregular bleeding.

2. Vaginal discharge

A small number of patients have increased watery or bloody discharge in the early stages of the disease, and in the late stages when necrotic infection occurs, foul-smelling pus and blood secretions may appear.

3. Pain

It usually only occurs in the late stages, when the cervical canal is blocked by cancerous tissue, causing blood or pus accumulation in the uterine cavity. Lower abdominal distension and pain may occur, or the cancer may stimulate uterine contractions and cause pain. When advanced cancer infiltrates the pelvic wall, low back and leg pain may occur.

4. Inspection

Uterine cancer should be suspected in women with delayed menopause, infertility, or rare fertility and infertility for many years, or elderly women with obesity, hypertension, and diabetes who have any of the following conditions:

Irregular vaginal bleeding before and after menopause, especially irregular vaginal bleeding after a long period of menopause;

Those who have uterine bleeding during the reproductive period and have been infertile for a long time;

There is continuous discharge in the uterine cavity.

5. Gynecological examination

The uterus is normal in size or slightly larger and softer, with no obvious lesions in the vagina and cervix. Sometimes polyp-like tissue can be seen protruding outward from the cervical os. When blood or pus accumulates in the uterine cavity, the uterus can be significantly enlarged and feel cystic. In the late stage, metastatic nodules or masses can be felt next to the uterus.

6. Segmental curettage

First use a small curette to scrape the cervical canal, then detect the depth of the uterine cavity and perform a circular scrape, paying attention to scraping the uterine horn tissue on both sides. When the scraping material is large and appears to be like tofu dregs, there is a high possibility of uterine cancer and the scraping should be stopped to avoid uterine perforation, bleeding and cancer spread. Label the scrapings and send them for pathological examination.

7. Cytology

The positive rate of smearing tumor cells from the posterior fornix of the vagina is low; finding cancer cells in fluid aspirated from the uterine cavity can significantly improve the accuracy of diagnosis.

The above has introduced uterine cancer in detail. Depending on the classification of uterine cancer, the treatment method is also different. No matter which treatment method is used, everyone should go to a regular hospital for examination in time, follow the doctor's arrangements and suggestions, do not make decisions on your own, refuse treatment, etc. In fact, many cancer patients have recovered their health through treatment.