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Women's cancers · free patient guide
Uterine cancer
Endometrial cancer, cancer of the womb lining
Gynaecologic oncology clinic
What it is
Most uterine cancer starts in the lining of the womb and announces itself with abnormal bleeding. Any bleeding after menopause is abnormal until proven otherwise.
It is linked to long-term oestrogen exposure, obesity, diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome, which makes it one of the cancers where metabolic health is directly relevant.
Uterine cancer is increasing in urban India alongside obesity and diabetes. It has one loud early symptom, which is why it is often found at an early stage, if the symptom is acted on.
Warning signs worth acting on
- Any vaginal bleeding after menopause, this is the symptom that matters most
- Heavy or irregular bleeding between periods before menopause
- Persistent watery or blood-stained discharge
- Pelvic pain or pressure that persists
How it is diagnosed
- Pelvic ultrasound measuring the endometrial thickness
- Endometrial biopsy or hysteroscopy
- MRI of the pelvis for staging
- Mismatch-repair testing on the tumour
Mismatch-repair and molecular classification are used to group the disease and inform treatment. An abnormal result may also point to Lynch syndrome, which affects the whole family.
Is it inherited?
Lynch syndrome accounts for a minority of cases and is worth identifying because it changes screening for bowel and other cancers across the family.
Genetic counselling & family risk →
Prevention & early detection
Weight and diabetes management reduce risk. Reporting post-menopausal bleeding immediately is the most effective single action.
Treatment options
What may form part of a plan
Which of these apply to you depends on your stage, your pathology, your other health and what you want from treatment. That decision belongs at a tumour board, not on a website.
Surgery
Operability assessment and planning here; the operation at the appropriate partner centre.
Radiotherapy
Targeted radiation to a defined area, planned in millimetres.
Chemotherapy
Drug treatment that acts on rapidly dividing cells throughout the body.
Hormone therapy
Treatment that removes or blocks the hormones some cancers depend on.
Immunotherapy
Treatment that works on the immune system rather than directly on the tumour.
Clinical trials
Most Indian patients never learn a trial exists, because nobody is looking.
At KPCIRC
The pathway for this disease
- Rapid assessment of post-menopausal bleeding, this is a pathway where days matter to the patient's anxiety and weeks matter to the disease
- Lynch syndrome triage from the tumour testing
- Metabolic health, weight and diabetes management alongside treatment
- Menopause and sexual health support afterwards
Support that matters most here
Take this with you
Questions to ask your own doctor
These work wherever you are treated. Print the page or take a photograph of this list.
- What did the biopsy show, and what type is it?
- Was mismatch-repair testing done?
- Do I need radiation or chemotherapy after surgery, and why?
- Should my family be screened for Lynch syndrome?
This page is not an emergency service. Severe breathlessness, chest pain, uncontrolled bleeding, a high fever during chemotherapy, or a sudden change in alertness means going to your nearest emergency department now, not reading further.