An abrupt increase in the case of uterine cancer among older women has been noticed, in spite of survival rates increasing due to better treatment and diagnosis. The increase in the number of such cases has been witnessed across Europe. Some of the reasons for this could be late menopause, early puberty, and higher body weight.
Overweight women particularly run a 2 to 3 times higher risk of contracting the affliction. The tamoxifen drug which is used for breast cancer also raises the risk of uterine cancer. Early detection has contributed towards increasing the 5 years survival rates to 77% in the UK, since 1976, when it was only at 16%. The standard treatment for the ailment is removal of the womb, or hysterectomy, while radiotherapy is also used in the case of advanced stages of the disease.
The UK alone accounts for about 1,500 deaths due to uterine cancer, while it is at 45,000 for the entire world. The most common symptom of the ailment is bleeding after menopause, while low pelvic pain is another symptom. Survival rates could be increased further through the better awareness of the disease. The exact reason for womb cancer is still not known.
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