Uterine Cancer Screening

Still, there is currently no uterine cancer screening that has proved to reduce mortality in average-risk individuals. Instead, the best way for women to protect themselves is to get an annual pelvic exam and to report any symptoms they are experiencing to their doctors.

People at very high risk of developing uterine cancer should talk to their gynecologist about the benefits and risks of uterine cancer screening with regular endometrial biopsy. Those at very high risk are people who have been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome, an inheritable genetic syndrome that greatly increases your risk for developing certain types of cancer, including uterine cancer.

For individuals with Lynch syndrome, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and the American Cancer Society recommend annual uterine cancer screening beginning at age 30–35. Such individuals should also discuss risk-reducing hysterectomy along with salpingo-oophorectomy after they’re finished having children.

Uterine cancer survival rates are directly related to the cancer’s stage at diagnosis. Cancers that are diagnosed as stage 1 or 2 have higher five-year survival rates than cancers diagnosed at later stages. It’s important for women to listen to their bodies and report any new or unusual symptoms to their physicians.

While symptoms tend to increase as the cancer progresses, even precancers and early-stage cancers can cause symptoms. However, many women brush them off, assuming they’re normal or attributable to another issue, such as menopause. Below is a list of symptoms that may signal uterine cancer, although most women who experience these symptoms do not have cancer:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding, including a change in periods, irregular bleeding or spotting between periods
• Any bleeding after menopause
• Abnormal vaginal discharge after menopause
• Pelvic pain
• Feeling a mass in the abdomen
• Unexplained weight loss

These symptoms can be caused by many gynecological and gastrointestinal conditions, and most people who experience them will not be diagnosed with uterine cancer. Still, it’s important to report them to your physician right away. The sooner uterine cancer is diagnosed, the better your prognosis will be.

Researchers at Winship are currently studying the potential of blood-based tests to screen for uterine and other cancers. Once developed, a blood test could be used to detect uterine cancer in high-risk individuals at earlier stages.