Endometrial Cancer Screening

Esophagus is the long duct of the digestive system. Esophagus is muscular and its rhythmic contractions and relaxations also called as peristalsis is responsible for carrying the food from the mouth to the stomach. The esophagus is about a foot long and is bi layered made up of mucosa and sub mucosa. Also there is a sphincter muscle which acts as a valve in between the esophagus and stomach acting like a valve.

The lining of the esophagus can sometimes showcase an uncontrolled cell division which leads to a benign or malignant tumor. Benign tumors could be left untreated as they are harmless whereas malignant tumors formed in the mucosa layer are really a threat. The mucosa is a unique lining compared to other linings tissues in the body, near the throat the mucosa is formed of squamous cells and the cancer in this region are squamous cell carcinomas. The mucosa near the abdominal region is made up of glands and the tumor developed here is termed as adenocarcinoma.

Sometimes precancerous lesions could be observed as a fore runner for the tumor that is about to be formed.

When diagnosed with endometrial cancer the patient has to go through surgery at some point down the line.  Generally in case of endometrial cancer the staging and surgery are done in the same surgical procedure. Staging is very necessary to decide the best treatment option for the case in hand and also finalize the post surgical procedures that have to be looked into. Malignancies in the uterus demand a complete thorough examination of the pelvis after which the tissue sample is examined by the pathologist to confirm the cancer. In the process of staging the cancer the FIGO norms are followed.

Te disease could be at any one of the following stages

Stage 1:

The cancer has not spread beyond the uterus walls

Stage 2:

The malignancy is spotted in the cervix as well which is the entrance to the uterus

Stage 3:

The cancer is affected the areas outside the uterus including the pelvis, lymph nodes, the vagina but confined to the pelvic region

Stage 4:

In this case the metastasis is too severe and has reached too many organs starting from the uterus.

Higher the stage more immediate the treatment should begin. Mostly the curative solution available is only surgical removal of the tumor or in applicable scenarios the uterus.

The gap between the diagnosis, staging and treatment in case of endometrial cancer is quite negligible as the processes and procedures are direct and very guiding.

The one and only way in diagnosis to ensure the existence of endometrial cancer is biopsy where the endometrial tissue is examined by a pathologist who can confirm the disease and the level of infection.

In a simple biopsy a flexible tube is passed through the vagina to acquire a bit of the endometrial tissues. This is called office biopsy. Under some circumstances when the doc is not able to procure enough tissues a Dilation and Curettage (D &C) is involved. This involves dilating the uterus opening and chipping off a bit of the endometrium with a hysteroscope. This is a theatrical procedure where anesthesia is used.

Apart from these the imaging methodologies used in the diagnosis are transvaginal ultrasound which helps the oncologists capture a clear picture of the endometrial stripe. Another method is sonohysterography in which the uterus walls are viewed through a liquid in the ultrasound to get a better look at the irregularities on the surface if they exist.

Following these procedures gives an objective answer on the cancer.

There is no specific step by step procedure defined for endometrial cancer screening till now and hence there is no notifications generically done to the common public to go and get screened for endometrial cancer.

A positive point about the disease is that endometrial cancers are diagnosed quite earlier in most cases of incidence and that the patients respond quite well to the treatment methodologies as the cancer has not aggravated.

Ø When a woman acquires endometrial cancer she tends to have vaginal bleeding and post menopausal vaginal bleeding is something serious enough for her to check with a physicist.

Ø Also for woman in premenopausal stage the bleeding in between the menstrual cycles is noted in case of endometrial cancer.

Another fact is neither that always this kind of irregular bleeding is a sign of endometrial cancer nor that the amount of bleeding is proportional to the severity of the disease.

When a patient consults an oncologist for this reason then biopsy is the only way of confirming the presence of tumor. Women with family history of Lynch syndrome or colon cancer are much advised to get endometrial biopsy done annually after the age of thirty five to be on the safer side.

All the causes and chances that have been defined till now about endometrial cancer are all based on a probability and actually a result of minute observation of the numerous case histories the researchers possess. The loud fact is that anyone could acquire the disease. So what should women do to improve their risk of dodging this deadly disease?

Ø Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPS) or Depo-Provera that help to bring ovulation/menstruation under control could reduce the risk of developing the cancer. More the times you use OCPs lesser becomes the risk.

Ø A hormone therapy using estrogen and some level of progesterone also brings down the risk factor.

Ø Diet also plays a role in fighting and more specifically avoiding cancer. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits is always preferred over animal fats and animal products.

Ø Lynch syndrome patients generally are more vulnerable to endometrial cancer.

Sometimes prophylactic hysterectomy, surgical removal of the uterus can permanently reduce the risk. This is a safe method after child birth. Some people who are also suggested by the oncologists for surgical removal of uterus are those who undergo hormone replacement therapy provided they have no further child birth plans.