Screening and Prevention

Screening

Endometrial cancer is often found at an early stage because this disease often causes vaginal bleeding. Women who have vaginal bleeding and have gone through menopause (when their monthly periods stop) are usually concerned enough to see their doctors, who can use certain tests to find out if these women have endometrial cancer.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that when women reach menopause, their doctors should talk to them about the symptoms and risk factors of endometrial cancer. These women should be strongly encouraged to report any vaginal bleeding or spotting to their doctor.

ACS does not recommend that most women be screened for endometrial cancer because no effective screening tests are available. However, women with a strong family history of endometrial cancer, many risk factors, or a proven hereditary cancer syndrome should be screened. In particular, ACS recommends that women with hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), also known as Lynch syndrome, be screened every year starting at age 35 with endometrial biopsy or transvaginal ultrasound.

• Endometrial biopsy - The doctor inserts a thin flexible tube through your vagina into your uterus. The doctor then removes some cells from the lining of your uterus through this tube using suction. The doctor looks at the cells under a microscope to check for cancer. This test can be done in your doctor’s office.
• Transvaginal ultrasound - The doctor inserts a probe through your vagina into your uterus. The probe sends out sound waves that echo off the cells in your uterus. A computer translates these sound waves into an image on a computer screen so that the doctor can see the inside of your uterus.

Prevention

Most cases of endometrial cancer cannot be prevented, but women can take certain steps to reduce their risk of developing this disease by:

• Breastfeeding - Breastfeeding your children might decrease your chances of endometrial cancer.
• Diabetes control - If you have diabetes, it is important to control your condition by, for example, regularly monitoring your blood glucose levels.
• Diet - Eating a diet low in saturated fats, high in fruits and vegetables, and high in soy products may reduce your risk of endometrial cancer.
• Exercise - Exercising regularly can decrease your likelihood of endometrial cancer.
• Hormone replacement therapy - If you take hormones to treat the symptoms of menopause, you should take a combination of progestin (an artificial form of the hormone progesterone) and estrogen, rather than estrogen alone.
• Oral contraceptives (the pill) - Taking combination oral contraceptives that contain both estrogen and progestin can reduce your risk of endometrial cancer. The risk is lowest in women who take the pill for a long time, and these women continue to be protected for at least 10 years after they stop taking the pill.
• Endometrial hyperplasia treatment - Endometrial hyperplasia  (a noncancerous increase in the number of cells lining the uterus) can become cancerous if it is not treated. Therefore, if you have endometrial hyperplasia, you should have it treated to lower your risk of endometrial cancer.
• Weight control - Controlling your weight by diet and exercise can decrease your chance of developing endometrial cancer.

This content has been reviewed and approved by Myo Thant, MD.