Uterine Cancer

Uterine cancer is the most common cancer occurring in a woman’s reproductive system. Uterine cancer is the abnormal (malignant) growth of any cells that comprise uterine tissue. The buildup of cancer cells may form a mass (malignant tumor).

. Endometrial cancer can often be cured. Uterine sarcoma is often more aggressive and harder to treat.

Types of Uterine Cancer

There are 2 major types of uterine cancer: Endometrial cancer (common) and uterine sarcoma (rare)

• Endometrial cancer develops in the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium. This is the most common type of uterine cancer, accounting for more than 90 percent of cases. All endometrial cancers are adenocarcinomas of the endometrium.Other types of endometrial cancer include:

  Serous adenocarcinoma, which are tumors that are more likely to spread to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body

  Adenosquamous carcinoma, a rare uterine cancer that is similar to endometrial adenocarcinoma and carcinoma of the squamous cells that line the outer layer of the uterus

  Uterine carcinosarcoma, which has cancer cells that look like endometrial cancer and sarcoma and has a high risk of spreading to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body

• Uterine sarcoma is a rarer type of uterine cancer and forms in the muscles or other tissues of the uterus. Each subtype of uterine sarcoma differs in the way it develops and changes over time, as well as in how it is treated. The three main types of uterine sarcoma are:Uterine leiomyosarcoma: The most common type of uterine sarcoma, this disease forms in the muscular wall of the uterus, known as the myometrium, and it makes up about 2 percent of uterine cancers.

  Endometrial stromal sarcomas: These tumors develop in the connective tissue that supports the endometrium. These cancers represent less than 1 percent of all uterine cancers and typically grow slowly.

  Undifferentiated sarcoma: A rare subtype, this cancer is similar to endometrial stromal sarcoma, but it is more aggressive, meaning it grows and spreads more quickly.

Treatment of Uterine Cancer