Causes

Transcript

There’s no way to predict who gets uterine cancer. Some patients who are at high risk may develop the cancer and sometimes they don’t. And similarly, some who are not at high risk may develop the cancer. The chance of being diagnosed with endometrial cancer increases with age. The majority of women with endometrial cancer are diagnosed after age 55. Obesity increases the risk of endometrial cancer by two to four times. This is because there are higher levels of estrogen in the body due to hormonal conversion in the fatty tissue. Similarly, unopposed estrogen, such as taking a pill or in supplemental form can increase the risk of endometrial cancer. A medication called Tamoxifen that is commonly used for breast cancer management can also increase the risk of endometrial cancer by two to three times. Early menses, late menopause, infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, those who have never been pregnant, diabetes, high blood pressure, and those with family history or hereditary mutations are all risk factors for uterine cancer. Hereditary or genetic reasons lead to about 5% of uterine cancers.