Advanced Uterine Cancer Symptoms
Every year, about 3900 Canadian women are diagnosed with uterine cancer, with a survival rate higher than 80%. This number is higher if the cancer is caught earlier. 19 out of 20 uterine cancers are endometrial cancer, the inner lining of the uterus. This is called endometrial cancer. The remaining 5% is a tumor from the outer muscle layer, called sarcoma. Generally, Sarcoamele is more aggressive and spread faster.
How do symptoms and symptoms manifest in uterine cancer? Very often the oncology at an early stage is asymptomatic: the tumor is only felt when the process is far away. However, this does not apply to endometrial malignant tumors. In the case of uterine cancer, the first symptoms appear immediately, which in most cases provide a possible radical solution to the problem and a favorable prognosis. Therefore, when you have suspicious signs, you should ask a gynecologist. You should not întârzieți visit a doctor "for later": If cancer extends to other parts of the body, treatment will become more complicated and the prognosis will worsen.
Uterine Cancer Causes and Symptoms
Advanced uterine cancer symptoms - The most important risk factor for endometrial cancer is estrogen. Estrogen stimulates the lining of the uterus (endometrium) to grow. Women with high levels of estrogen in their body present an increased risk of endometrial cancer. As the cumulative exposure for the lifetime of estrogen is taken into account, older women present the highest risk. Most endometrial cancers occur after menopause, and the risk continues to increase every decade in a row. Approximately 95% of these types of cancer occur in women over 40 years of age. See Also: Stage 3 Uterine Cancer Life Expectancy.Obesity is a potent risk factor for endometrial cancer. This is because oily tissue in women produces large amounts of estrogen and makes it continuous. Overweight women are 3 to 10 times more likely to develop endometrial cancer, depending on the extra weight they are wearing and how long they have taken. A diet rich in fat can be a separate risk factor. Physical activity can protect even without additional benefits that might lose weight.
Estrogen is produced in each menstrual cycle, and women who have multiple menstrual cycles are exposed to a higher risk. This means that a woman aged 40 years, the first period came at age 11 years are more likely to get endometrial tumors than an age of 40, who started menstruating at age 14 due to interrupt pregnancy cycle, women who have children at lower risk than those who have no. The more serious a woman, the greater the protective effect. However, the number of menstrual cycles and the pregnancy held by women is a risk factor for much lower development than the risk of endometrial cancer associated with obesity.
Estrogen supplements (or hormone substitution therapy, HRT), used to relieve menopause symptoms, can slightly increase the risk of endometrial cancer. However, estrogen is usually given in combination with another type of hormone called progesterone, which counteracts the effect of estrogens on the endometrium and removes the risk of endometrial cancer. Oral contraceptive pills in which estrogen overdose effect is small even seemed to provide some protection against endometrial cancer. Progesterone is the dominant hormone during normal menstrual periods. Therefore, younger women who do not present menstruation normally (unless they take pills) present a higher risk of endometrial cancer.
Due to the effect on imitating estrogen, tamoxifen citrate, a common medicine for patients with breast cancer, was thought to increase the risk of endometrial cancer is 3 to 5 times in women who can take it to prevent breast cancer recurrence. However, the risk of recurrence of breast cancer without tamoxifen citrate in women who are prescription medications is much higher than the risk of uterine cancer. If you take this medicine, your doctor can provide you with regular monitoring to help detect the initial changes in the uterine wall. People with a family history of this disease, as well as people in families with a type of inherited colon cancer or breast cancer, may present a higher risk.
Signs and First Symptoms of Uterine Cancer
Advanced uterine cancer symptoms - 9 out of 10 types of uterine cancer causes bleeding. Usually, there are no other symptoms or warning signs of endometrial cancer. Cervical cancer can cause pelvic pain, weight loss, bloating and abdominal swelling (lower abdominal area).Developing in the endometrium, cancerous tumors are manifested as abnormal vaginal bleeding. In patients with uterine cancer, these symptoms are almost always present but may differ depending on the functional state of the female reproductive system. Due to the fact that this disease is directly related to infringements of the balance of female sex hormones, it usually occurs during hormonal adjustments, namely during menopause. The symptoms of uterine cancer depend on the extinction phase of sexual function:
- If a woman has not reached menopause, the bleeding between menstruation may indicate the occurrence of a common malignant tumor and hydrorrhea, excessive and prolonged menstrual periods (more than 7 days).
- After the onset of menopause (the duration of menstruation absence of 1 year or more), any vaginal bleeding is abnormal and must be a signal for direct contact with the doctor. Sometimes, with this, the first symptoms of uterine cancer and light signs become diluted fluids with a mixture of blood. When the tumor grows, the uterine bleeding increases and obtains a permanent character.
- It should be added that only 1 in 10 of the above disorders is a consequence of cancer development. The same manifestations are characteristic for endometriosis, fibroids (benign neoplasms), familial mucosa, etc. Therefore, their appearance is an opportunity for examination and not panic.
- Endometrial cancer in the early stages has the main symptom: abnormal uterine bleeding. Abnormal bleeding in premenopausal women if they occur at an unusual time. In postmenopausal women, uterine bleeding is abnormal. One-third of postmenopausal women who see their physicians about abnormal uterine bleeding exhibit endometrial cancer.
At the same time, this is a symptom that allows cancer detection early enough to get effective treatment. The Pap test, designed to find cancer in the cervix, sometimes captures cancer that is in the uterus but often lacks them too. In other words, a woman with a normal Pap test should immediately inform her doctor if she has abnormal uterine bleeding. However, there are other signs and symptoms of uterine cancer that you should know, namely:
- Pelvic pain. Small pelvic pain occurs continuously, differs depending on duration and intensity, increases during menstruation and during sexual intercourse. If the cause of their occurrence is the focus of cancer in the endometrium, it shows the prevalence of the process.
- Anemia. In the absence of treatment, constant blood loss contributes to the development of anemia. Female hemoglobin decreases, which is accompanied by the emergence of weakness, dizziness, and dyspnoea, even with a little physical activity.
- Cancer poisoning. Any cancer eventually leads to general health deterioration because of the toxic effects of the vital products of malignant cells. In patients with advanced uterine cancers, signs and symptoms of uterine cancer are manifested by increased irritability, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue.
- As the disease progresses, pain in the back, legs, pelvic area and other disorders associated with germination in the neighboring organs and tissues and the emergence of remote metastases join the above characteristics.
Uterine Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Advanced uterine cancer symptoms - There is no screening test for endometrial cancer. It is true that these tumors are sometimes detected by cervical smears, but this screening test is very popular when it comes to endometrial cancer; Only captures endometrial cells that have been deployed and inserted into the cervix. The ultrasonographic transmission and endometrial sampling used for diagnosis are studied for their value as a screening test.The only reliable diagnostic test for endometrial cancer is tissue biopsy (sample). The sampling of tissues in the endometrium, called endometrial biopsy, usually performed in a medical practice, is the safest diagnostic procedure. Another method of sampling is D & C (Cervix dilation and the DC, which scratches the uterine lining). However, D & C requires anesthesia and may not be suitable for women who are very old or have serious medical problems. transvaginal Ultrasound is another procedure that can help diagnose this cancer, but the results are less safe than the biopsy.
Most types of uterine cancer are detected when a woman sees abnormal vaginal bleeding. Abnormal bleeding should not be ignored, especially in postmenopausal women. Any woman over 40 years of age with abnormal vaginal bleeding should consult a doctor to decide whether a new test is required. The use of estrogen supplements sometimes causes abnormal uterine bleeding, which is not dangerous, but physicians should always consult in any case.
A & P is not clearly suitable for random or routine screening, but some women at increased risk might consider performing an endometrial biopsy or transvaginal ultrasonography performed annually. High-risk women include people who take strong estrogen supplements that are not balanced with progesterone, obese women, and women taking tamoxifen (medicines for breast cancer). Since this test is not universally recommended, women should talk to their doctor if they need screening.
Uterine Cancer Prevention and Control (Treatment)
The removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) is very important for the treatment of endometrial cancer. This will not interfere with sexual activity, but this operation causes infertility and is not refundable. Only after the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries have been removed, the doctor may assess the level of cancer. If cancer has not yet invaded deep in the uterine wall (the initial stage) and not in the aggressive type (low level), the additional treatment may not be necessary.In larger cancers, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or both may be offered rather than (or after) surgical interventions. Women with tumors that have infiltrated further into the uterine wall or who have higher grade cancer may need pelvic radiation, chemotherapy or both to kill the remaining cancerous cells. Some women were successfully treated through radiation only after deciding on a hysterectomy. However, most experts agree that the intact maintenance of the uterus reduces the likelihood of successful treatment if there is no evidence of disease outside the uterus at the time of diagnosis.
Treatment with pelvic radiation may have unpleasant side effects, including nausea, abdominal pain, and fatigue. Another common side effect of pelvic radiation is vaginal narrowing (stenosis). This can cause sexual relations to be difficult or painful. This may require a regular vaginal stretch with a vaginal dilator to allow sexual activity, which can be done at home.
Advanced uterine cancer symptoms - If the cancer is very advanced, chemotherapy can be used alone or in combination with radiation. Chemotherapy can cause many side effects. These side effects vary according to chemotherapy which medications give you your doctor. Synthetic Progestinele, a form of the hormone progesterone, are sometimes used to treat endometrial cancer when it is advanced or when it reappears. Synthetic Progestinele only has mild side effects compared to typical cancer medicines; However, the chances of success when treated with chemotherapy or progestin monotherapy are very low.