What are the physical manifestations of patients with endometrial cancer?

Endometrial cancer is a disease that seriously threatens the health of female friends. It is also a disease that causes headaches for many female friends. Many people do not know much about the symptoms of endometrial cancer. They do not understand the symptoms of endometrial cancer, so sometimes they cannot easily discover the disease when they suffer from it. The following will introduce to you in detail the physical manifestations of patients with endometrial cancer.

Patients in the very early stages may have no obvious symptoms and may only be discovered accidentally during gynecological examinations for general surveys or other reasons. Once symptoms appear, they are usually manifested as:

(I) Uterine bleeding: Irregular vaginal bleeding before and after menopause is the main symptom of endometrial cancer. It is usually a small to moderate amount of bleeding, and rarely a large amount of bleeding. Not only are younger or near-menopausal patients prone to mistaking it for irregular menstruation and not seeking medical treatment in time, but even doctors often neglect it. Some people also have delayed menstrual cycles, but the symptoms are irregular. Postmenopausal patients often show continuous or intermittent vaginal bleeding. Endometrial cancer patients generally do not have contact bleeding. Late bleeding may be mixed with rotten meat-like tissue.

(ii) Vaginal discharge: Since adenocarcinoma grows in the uterine cavity, the chance of infection is less than that of cervical cancer. Therefore, in the early stage, there may be only a small amount of bloody leucorrhea, but later, if infection and necrosis occur, a large amount of foul-smelling pus and blood-like fluid will be discharged. Sometimes the discharge may contain small fragments of cancerous tissue. If pus accumulates in the cervical cavity, it will cause fever, abdominal pain, and leukocytosis. The general condition will also deteriorate rapidly.

(III) Pain: The cancer and its bleeding and the accumulation of fluids stimulate the irregular contraction of the uterus, causing paroxysmal pain, accounting for about 10-46%. This symptom mostly occurs in the late stage. If the cancer tissue penetrates the serosa or erodes the connective tissue around the uterus, bladder, or compresses other tissues, it can also cause pain, which is often stubborn and progressively worsens; and it often radiates from the lumbosacral region and lower abdomen to the thighs and knees.

(iv) Others: Late-stage patients may feel an enlarged uterus and/or adjacent tissues and organs in the lower abdomen, which may cause swelling and pain in the lower limb on that side, or compress the ureter, causing hydronephrosis or renal atrophy on that side; or symptoms of systemic failure such as anemia, weight loss, fever, cachexia, etc. may occur.

Endometrial cancer occurs at a relatively late age, so it seems unlikely to be complicated by pregnancy, but there have been individual case reports of complicated pregnancy or fallopian tube pregnancy in the literature.

Main signs

(I) Systemic manifestations: A considerable number of patients have diabetes, hypertension or obesity. Anemia occurs in patients with a longer bleeding time. Patients in the late stage of cancer may develop cachexia due to tumor consumption, pain, loss of appetite, fever, etc.

(II) Gynecological examination findings: In the early stage, there are usually no obvious changes in the pelvic reproductive organs. About 40% of patients have a normal uterus. If combined with myoma or lesions in the late stage, the uterus will enlarge. Postmenopausal women's uterus does not shrink but becomes full and hard, so they should be especially vigilant. The ovaries may be normal or enlarged or accompanied by the possibility of feminizing tumors. If the palpation is unclear during bimanual examination due to obesity, pain or lack of cooperation, there is no need to insist on finding out, because the basis for diagnosis is not the size of the uterus. Most patients have no visible lesions in the cervix. Only when the cervix is ​​invaded in the late stage, cancerous tissue can be seen protruding from the cervical opening. Infiltration of the paracervix is ​​caused by involvement of the cervix.

(III) Metastatic lesions: In the late stage, patients may feel enlarged, hardened or fused lymph nodes in the groin, or have signs of metastasis to the lungs, liver, etc.

Whether it is surgical resection or radiotherapy and chemotherapy, it will cause certain physical damage to the patient, so Chinese medicine is generally given to the patient before and after surgery and radiotherapy and chemotherapy to improve the patient's own resistance and help kill cancer cells. Commonly used Chinese medicines for the treatment of endometrial cancer include Zhenxiang Capsules, Compound Blister Capsules, Brucea Oil Oral Liquid, Huachansu Oral Liquid, Xiaoaiping Tablets, etc. In addition, endometrial cancer brings physical pain to patients and also brings a great mental burden. Therefore, people around, including medical staff and family members, should give patients confidence and comfort, and encourage patients to actively cooperate with treatment.

Endometrial cancer is a disease that not only threatens the physical health of female friends, but also threatens the happiness of the entire family and brings a heavy burden to the entire family. Therefore, we should actively take preventive measures in life to avoid the occurrence of endometrial cancer, so that we can feel the warmth of the family, feel the joy of life, and be healthy in our study, work and life.