Understanding the Different Types of Uterine Cancer

There are two major types of uterine cancer. These develop in different parts of the uterus. Let us go over them.

• Endometrial Cancer: This is the most common type of uterus cancer and grows in the lining of the uterus. This lining is called the endometrium, from which it derives its name. This forms almost ninety percent of all uterus cancer cases worldwide.
• Uterine Sarcoma: This type of uterus cancer is rarer and usually occurs in the muscles and other surrounding tissues of the uterus.

Endometrial Cancer

As we said earlier, endometrial cancer is the most common uterus tumor type. Again, there are different kinds of endometrial cancers as well. About four-fifths of all such cases are adenocarcinomas of the endometrium. This means that these cancers form because these types of uterine cancer cells start dividing uncontrollably.

There are other kinds of endometrial cancer. These include:

• Serous adenocarcinoma: These are tumors with the highest likelihood of spreading to lymph nodes and other parts of the body.
• Adenosquamous carcinoma: This is rare and bears a lot of resemblance to endometrial cancer and carcinoma of the squamous cells lining the uterus
• Uterine carcinosarcoma: This type of cancer looks like the endometrial variant but has a very high chance of spreading to other parts of the body.

The survival rates of these cancers are pretty good. The five-year survival rate for endometrial cancer is about 81%, though it is subject to how deeply affected the patient is. It depends on whether the cancer is focused locally, whether it has spread to other parts of the body, and what stage it is in. if it remains local, then there is a 95% chance of five-year survival.

Uterine Sarcoma

As stated earlier, this is one of the rare uterine cancer types. They account for about four percent of all uterine cancer cases. Now, though these form in the muscles and tissues surrounding the uterus, each variant develops in a different place and in a different way.

This causes them to change differently as well, and this dictates the kind of treatment patients have to undergo. Below, we have mentioned the different kinds of uterine sarcoma:

• Uterine leiomyosarcoma: This is the most common form of uterine sarcoma and develops in the muscle walls of the uterus. They are responsible for two percent of all uterine cancer cases.
• Endometrial stromal sarcoma: These cancers grow in the tissue that supports the endometrium and grow very, very slowly. They account for less than one percent of all cases.
• Undifferentiated sarcoma: This is a rare subtype of uterine sarcoma. It is similar to endometrial stromal sarcoma but is much more aggressive, growing much quicker across the body. It also accounts for less than one percent of the total number of uterine cancer cases.

The five-year survival rate of endometrial stromal sarcoma is 95% because it grows so slowly. Leiomyosarcoma and undifferentiated sarcoma have a survival rate of 41% and 43%, respectively, which is not too bad.

A Final Note on Uterine Cancer

The best way you have to defend yourself against uterine cancer is by becoming more aware of the kinds of cancers there are, their individual symptoms, and the kinds of treatment on offer. This knowledge is necessary not only for yourself but for your loved ones as well.

To stay on the safe side, get yourself checked up twice every year. Uterine cancer can be treated very effectively if caught early, and this is something you want to do. If you or a loved one have indeed been diagnosed with uterine cancer, you don’t need to stress about facing it alone. Reach out to All American Hospice; we’ll be happy to provide you with support and care.