Endometrial Cancer: Symptoms and Signs to Look For

Endometrial cancer, which affects a woman’s endometrium, or lining of the uterus, has been on the rise in the United States. The American Cancer Association predicts 68,000 new cases and 13,000 deaths from endometrial cancer in 2024. Because of this, it’s essential that women know what signs to look for.

Symptoms of Endometrial Cancer

Symptoms of endometrial cancer, also called uterine corpus cancer, may seem vague at first, says Ashley Ford Haggerty, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist at Riverview Medical Center and Jersey Shore University Medical Center. She urges women to be alert for any unusual bleeding not related to periods, especially after menopause—“even a little bit of blood on toilet tissue.”

“Most bleeding after menopause is not endometrial cancer, but if you have any amount, especially if it’s persistent, see your doctor,” she says. Other symptoms to be aware of include:

• Pelvic pain
• Difficulty urinating, which can mimic a urinary tract infection
• Unexplained changes in bowel or bladder habits
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Bloating

Risks for Endometrial Cancer

In addition to increasing age, several factors put women at risk for this cancer, says Dr. Ford Haggerty, who also holds a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology, or the study of disease. Risk factors include:

• Obesity, since “it’s the biggest modifiable risk factor,” Dr. Ford Haggerty says.
• Metabolic syndrome, since people with three of the following conditions are at risk for metabolic syndrome: high blood pressure; high blood sugar levels; high blood triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood; and low LDL or “good” cholesterol
• Hormone therapy, including postmenopausal estrogen therapy.
• Use of the breast cancer treatment tamoxifen
• Having type 2 diabetes
• Never giving birth
• Starting menstruation and/or menopause early
• Having a family history of endometrial cancer
• Lynch syndrome, the most common form of hereditary colorectal cancer
• Endometrial hyperplasia, when the lining of the uterus is abnormally thick
  
  

Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis

Pap smears can’t diagnose this cancer, says Dr. Ford Haggerty, but these tests can:

• Transvaginal ultrasound: A painless procedure that looks at the female organs through the vagina.
• Endometrial biopsy: A tissue sample is removed from the endometrium for examination.
• Dilatation and curettage (D&C): The uterus is dilated, and an instrument removes a tissue sample.
• Hysteroscopy: A thin tube with a camera allows a look into the uterus to aid in diagnosis.
  
  

Treatment for Endometrial Cancer

While there’s no actual screening for endometrial cancer, researchers are working to improve diagnosis and treatment.

“Treatment of endometrial cancer has advanced during the past several years thanks to precision medicine,” says Dr. Ford Haggerty. “Precision medicine, also called personalized medicine, looks at mutations within the tumor and uses those to define different groups that need to be treated differently," she says. It considers a person’s genetics and the mutations within the tumor tissue to help determine the best treatment.

There are different subtypes of endometrial cancer, says Dr. Ford Haggerty, who was a lead author on a 2023 study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that investigated the use of an anti-cancer agent for patients with metastatic and recurrent endometrial cancer and found it improved survival.

“[The subtypes] have different recurrence risks, some higher than others,” she says. “The use of precision medicine, along with molecular testing from the surgical pathology—the study of tissue samples removed during surgery—helps us determine the appropriate treatment.”

Treatment options may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination.

“The use of these targeted therapies means it’s a very rapidly evolving world for treating gynecological cancers, and progress is good news for patients,” she says.

Next Steps & Resources:

• Meet our source:  Ashley Ford Haggerty, M.D.
• To make an appointment with a gynecologist or gynecological oncologist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.

Learn more about gynecologic cancer care at Hackensack Meridian Health.