Uterine Cancer: What to Know About Symptoms and Treatment - The New York Times

A caller nationalist survey has suggested that chemic hairsbreadth straighteners could airs a small risk for uterine cancer. Rates of the illness are inactive comparatively low, said Dr. Alexandra White, caput of the situation and crab epidemiology radical of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the pb writer connected the study. The probe besides did not definitively amusement that hairsbreadth straighteners origin cancer. But the findings are origin for concern, she said.

Rates of uterine crab person been increasing successful the United States, peculiarly for Black and Hispanic women. The fig of cases diagnosed each twelvemonth roseate to 65,950 this year, compared to 39,000 15 years ago. Black women are besides much apt to person much assertive cases of the cancer, Dr. White said, and the survey showed they were disproportionately much apt to usage hairsbreadth straighteners.

If you person utilized chemic hairsbreadth straighteners, you bash not request to question retired aesculapian attraction oregon consult your doc unless you person symptoms for uterine cancer, said Dr. Otis Brawley, an oncologist astatine Johns Hopkins University. But women should regularly spot a gynecologist, and beryllium alert of the hazard factors and aboriginal signs of the disease.

What is uterine cancer?

When we speech astir uterine cancer, astir of the time, we’re talking astir endometrial cancer, which starts successful cells that signifier the lining of the uterus, said Dr. Emily Hinchcliff, a gynecologic oncologist astatine Northwestern Medicine. The other, overmuch rarer, benignant of uterine crab is uterine sarcoma, which develops successful the muscles supporting the uterus.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that astir 3.1 percent of women successful the U.S. volition beryllium diagnosed with uterine crab astatine immoderate constituent successful their lives. But endometrial crab is mostly treatable, particularly if you drawback it early, said Dr. Roberto Vargas, a gynecologic oncologist astatine Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Brawley besides noted that cases of uterine crab are uncommon successful pre-menopausal women. “This is simply a illness of women successful their 50s and 60s,” helium said.

What are the hazard factors for uterine cancer?

Anyone with a uterus is astatine hazard for processing uterine cancer, but your hazard rises arsenic you age, with women implicit 50 peculiarly astatine risk. Environmental exposures whitethorn besides origin into someone’s risk, arsenic the researchers connected the hairsbreadth straightener survey noted. Several chemicals found successful straighteners, including parabens, bisphenol-A, metals and formaldehyde, which are besides utilized successful galore different idiosyncratic attraction products, could perchance explicate the accrued hazard to women who utilized straighteners.

Medical conditions related to hormonal imbalances tin besides elevate risk. Polycystic ovary syndrome, oregon PCOS, has been linked to an accrued hazard of uterine cancer — due to the fact that women with PCOS thin to skip periods, which leads to a buildup of insubstantial successful the uterus that tin make into endometrial crab .

Certain types of ovarian tumors tin besides rise the risk, arsenic immoderate tin secrete estrogen, Dr. Vargas said. Excessive estrogen tin overly stimulate hormone receptors, causing crab cells to multiply and spread. Women who person taken Tamoxifen, an estrogen modulator that is utilized to dainty bosom cancer, are besides astatine an elevated risk.

And due to the fact that excess fatty insubstantial tin nutrient further estrogen, obese women are dramatically much apt to make endometrial cancer, Dr. Brawley said. Those who instrumentality estrogen without progesterone are besides astatine an accrued hazard for processing the cancer, helium added. To negociate that risk, erstwhile doctors prescribe estrogen to negociate blistery flashes, they should besides prescribe progesterone, helium said.

Diabetes and precocious humor unit are besides hazard factors, said Dr. Ginger Gardner, a gynecologic oncologist astatine Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. And, arsenic with galore different forms of cancer, household past tin play a role, she added. Women whose household members person been diagnosed with uterine crab should beryllium peculiarly vigilant astir monitoring for symptoms.

What are the aboriginal symptoms to ticker for?

Abnormal bleeding is the astir communal grounds of uterine cancer, Dr. Brawley said, particularly for women who person gone done menopause. Dr. Gardner said if you acquisition vaginal bleeding aft not getting a play for a twelvemonth oregon more, adjacent airy pinkish oregon brownish spotting oregon staining erstwhile you wipe, you should speech to your gynecologist.

For younger women, a alteration successful bleeding signifier — including bleeding betwixt periods and dense bleeding successful wide — tin beryllium a grounds of uterine cancer, she added.

Dr. Andrea Jackson, an obstetrician and gynecologist astatine the University of California, San Francisco who specializes successful providing attraction for Black patients, said that patients often place those changes successful bleeding patterns. Anecdotally, she said her Black patients, successful particular, often don’t spot it arsenic a origin for concern, partially due to the fact that galore person concurrent conditions similar fibroids, which tin besides origin spotting.

Skipping periods tin besides beryllium a motion of concern, she said. If you skip a play for immoderate magnitude of clip and are not menopausal oregon connected hormonal contraception, you should talk with a gynecologist.

Other aboriginal symptoms of uterine crab see pelvic symptom oregon pressure. Patients mightiness acquisition bloating oregon changes successful their bowel habits, which could look similar constipation oregon diarrhea, Dr. Hinchcliff said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends seeing your doc if symptoms persist for 2 weeks oregon longer.

How is uterine crab screened and treated?

There are nary regular screenings for uterine cancer, and pap smears cannot observe it. That’s wherefore it’s indispensable to show symptoms and immoderate changes successful your cycle, Dr. Jackson said. Progesterone IUDs and commencement power pills tin assistance support against uterine crab if idiosyncratic is astatine higher risk, she added.

For patients who bash contiguous with symptoms, “a diagnosis of endometrial crab is beauteous straightforward,” Dr. Gardner said. A doc volition execute a pelvic exam and an endometrial biopsy, oregon they mightiness behaviour a dilation and curettage procedure, which removes insubstantial from the uterus; if a biopsy is uncomfortable for a patient, a doc mightiness opt for a transvaginal ultrasound, Dr. Jackson said, which allows them to analyse the reproductive organs.

If endometrial crab is caught early, doctors typically behaviour a hysterectomy, Dr. Jackson said. For aboriginal signifier uterine cancer, immoderate patients whitethorn request chemotherapy and radiation. Outcomes alteration based connected however assertive the crab is, but for a modular case, “this is simply a precise treatable signifier of cancer,” Dr. Brawley said.