Every year, there are more than 39,000 cases of uterine cancer, and more than 7,400 deaths from the disease. It is the most common female pelvic malignancy and usually strikes between the ages of 50 and 70, usually occurring in women who have already gone through menopause.

The highest incidence of uterine cancer occurs in Caucasian women (22.4 per 100,000), followed by African American women (15.3 per 100,000). However, African-American women have a higher death rate, signifying that the disease is not detected in many African American women until its later stages.


A symptom of uterine cancer is abnormal bleeding. Pain in the lower pelvis may be a sign that the cancer is in a later stage. These symptoms don't necessarily mean that cancer is present, but they are signs that should be investigated by a physician.


Estrogen replacement therapy, early onset of periods (before age 12), late menopause (after age 51), never having children, long-term tamoxifen use, and failure to ovulate, and infertility all increase a woman's risk of developing uterine cancer. Also, diseases such as diabetes, gall bladder disease, hypertension, and hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer all increase a woman's risk of uterine cancer. Risks for this cancer increase in obese women, women who have type 2 diabetes mellitus, and women who use unopposed estrogen hormones (those without any progesterone hormone).


A complete hormone replacement therapy after menopause is believed to offset some of the risk for women who have used estrogen-only replacement therapy. Pregnancy and the use of birth control pills during the course of a woman's life may provide some protection as well.


For women at high risk, an endometrial biopsy is recommended at menopause and several points thereafter.


Treatment usually includes surgery to remove the uterus, or a total hysterectomy (including removal of the ovaries), followed by radiation, hormones, and chemotherapy, if needed.


93% of uterine cancer patients survive for only one year if the cancer is caught in a late stage. However, if caught early, 95% of patients can expect to live for five years or more. The survival rate drops to 64% if the woman is diagnosed with the cancer at a regional stage.