“The endometrium is a turquoise orange”, proclaims the new campaign of the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians, the Society of Gynecological and Pelvic Surgery, the French Society of Onco-Gynecology, the French Society of Oncological Surgery and the Fund for Women’s Health. The collective is preparing a month of endometrial cancer awareness at the start of the school year, “Turquoise September”, to talk about this cancer which kills 2,500 women each year in France. However, when it is detected quickly, it is one of the most curable cancers.
Genital bleeding should alert you!
Endometrial cancer, also called cancer of the body of the uterus, can only be suspected when symptoms appear because, unlike cervical cancer, there is no screening program in France. “The main one being the presence of genital bleeding, even minimal, after menopause, or outside menstrual periods, before menopause, indicates Professor Vincent Lavoué, head of the gynecology department at Rennes University Hospital. This should lead to quickly consulting a gynecologist to carry out examinations.”
However, this symptom is only characteristic of the early phase of the disease and when endometrial cancer progresses, other signs may appear such as:
- pain in the lower abdomen;
- significant fatigue;
- weight loss.
Cancer of the body of the uterus: what are the risk factors?
“Remember that most endometrial cancers require estrogen to grow. In their absence, they stop growing or evolve more slowly, detail the specialists in the press release sent to the editorial staff. This is why, with a few exceptions, the factors that increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer are linked to estrogen.”
Thus, the main risk factors are:
– Aging, overweight and obesity: “the risk increases with age and body mass index (BMI). Among the twenty most common types of tumors, cancer of
the endometrium has the strongest link with obesity: every 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI
being associated with a 54% increase in cancer risk”.
– The genes : “Women with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, also called Lynch syndrome, are at higher risk”.
– Diabetes.
– Hypertension.
– Absence of pregnancy.
– Family history of endometrial cancer: “have a first-degree relative
(mother, sister or daughter), having had endometrial cancer”.
– Having had breast or ovarian cancer: “in women who have had breast cancer, the
The risk is higher if they have been treated with tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen. It has an effect
stimulating on the endometrium and may promote the development or growth of cancer. However, its benefits remain greater than the risk of developing cancer.”.
– Certain gynecological diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome,
endometrial hyperplasia (proliferation of endometrial cells).
– Exposure to estrogen, “in association or not with an insufficient rate of
progesterone”.
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