Facts to Know

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1. Cancer of the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, is the most common gynecologic cancer and ranks one of the most treatable when identified in its earliest stages.

2. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 41,200 new cases of cancer of the uterine body will be detected in the United States in 2006. The good news is that if detected and treated early, the prognosis for survival with this type of cancer is excellent.

3. The average woman who develops uterine cancer is in her early 60s, although endometrial cancer can strike women in their childbearing years.

4. Most uterine cancers (95 percent) develop in the glandular cells or endometrium lining the inside of the uterine cavity. This is the same tissue that is shed each month during a normal menstrual period.

5. A small number of uterine cancers (about two to four percent) are sarcomas, which can originate in the endometrium or in the muscular and connective tissue elements of the uterus.

6. There is evidence that use of oral contraceptives can reduce uterine cancer risk, particularly in women who take oral contraceptives for several years. The protection continues for at least 10 years after you stop taking the pills. You should not take birth control pills just to prevent uterine cancer, however, since they carry their own risks.

7. Obesity and a family history of colon cancer are the strongest risk factors for uterine cancer. Other risk factors include late menopause and never having children.

8. Uterine cancer is approximately 40 percent more common in Caucasians as it is in African Americans and other non-Caucasian women. On the other hand, African-American women who get this type of cancer are twice as likely to die of the disease. Age is the most important risk factor for death from endometrial cancer.

9. Women who have been diagnosed with a genetic condition known as hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNCC) have an increased risk of endometrial cancer and should begin screening for the condition at 35.

10. Uterine cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy, depending on the stage and cell type of the disease.