Uterine cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer in women in Switzerland: around 950 women are diagnosed every year. Most of those affected are over 65 years old at the time.

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What is uterine cancer?

Uterine cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. In most cases, it develops in the lining of the uterus, the “endometrium”.

Uterine cancer can develop when originally healthy cells in the uterus begin to grow uncontrollably, divide and grow into surrounding tissue. These rapidly multiplying cells can form a tumor.

Cancer cells can spread via the lymphatic and blood vessels and form metastases (offshoots) in other parts of the body.

Types of uterine cancer

There are various types of endometrial cancer, which differ in their cell type and characteristics. Most endometrial cancers are adenocarcinomas, which develop in the gland-forming cells of the uterus in the uterine body.

Cancer can also develop on the cervix. Cervical cancer is different from endometrial cancer and is diagnosed and treated differently.

Symptoms

Uterine cancer is often associated with unusual vaginal bleeding.

These include:

  • Bleeding after the menopause
  • Intermenstrual bleeding in women before the menopause
  • Spotting or discharge

Signs in more advanced stages include:

  • Pain in the pelvic area
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Palpable hardening in the abdomen

Important: These symptoms can also indicate diseases other than uterine cancer. However, it is important to have bleeding after the menopause and changes in menstruation in women before the menopause checked.

Causes and risk factors

It is still unclear what exactly triggers uterine cancer. It is assumed that certain risk factors promote the development of the disease.

These include, among others:

  • Obesity (morbid overweight)
  • Hormonal factors: imbalance between estrogen and progesterone
  • Older age
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Family history
  • Previous cancer (breast or ovarian cancer)
  • Previously occurring endometrial hyperplasia (abnormal thickening of the uterine lining)
  • Radiotherapy of the pelvis to treat a previous cancer

Studies have shown that women who exercise more have a lower risk of uterine cancer.

Treatment options

In many cases, surgery to remove the tumor tissue is the main treatment for uterine cancer. However, other treatments may also be used.

The treatment options include:

  • Surgery: There are various surgical procedures for the treatment of uterine cancer. Hysterectomy, in which the uterus and cervix are removed, is considered the most important treatment for uterine body cancer.
  • Radiotherapy: In this form of therapy, high-energy radiation is used to destroy the cancer cells or slow down their growth.
  • Chemotherapies: Chemotherapy uses drugs that circulate in the bloodstream and can reach and kill rapidly growing cells, including cancer cells, throughout the body.
  • Hormone therapies: These drugs can slow down or stop certain cells that rely on hormones, particularly oestrogen and progesterone, to grow.
  • Immunotherapies: These biotechnologically produced drugs can activate or strengthen the body’s own immune system in order to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
  • Targeted therapies: These specifically developed drugs can block or slow down certain mechanisms and pathways that are responsible for the growth, division and spread of cancer cells.

Which of these therapies is used depends on various factors, including the general state of health and the size, location and characteristics of the tumor.

CH-ONC-24-00012, 04/2024

Other treatment areas

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. There are many different types of breast cancer. Men can also be affected.

Liver cancer

Liver cancer is a tumor disease of the liver. It mainly occurs in older people. The incidence of the disease increases with age.

Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma, is a cancer of the kidney. Older people around the age of 75 are affected more frequently.

Thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is a rare type of cancer that occurs more frequently in women than in men. It can also affect young people.

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Eisai has two key strategic areas: Neurological diseases and cancer (oncology).

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