VERIFIED CONTENTConsultation: dr Tadeusz Oleszczuk, gynecologist-obstetrician
Endometrial cancer, otherwise known as endometrial cancer or cancer of the uterine mucosa, is one of the neoplasms with good prognosis in effective treatment. To a large extent, women can protect themselves against it due to their lifestyle. Among other things, we talked to Dr. Tadeusz Oleszczuk about the prevention of endometrial cancer.
Patrycja Pupiec: Doctor, today I would like to talk about a difficult topic, because I talk about endometrial cancer.
Tadeusz Oleszczuk:No, the topic is simple, today we know a lot about this type of cancer. The problem of cancer is that it is always worrying. Indeed, 30 years ago, when I was finishing my studies, one of the lessons learned from medical students was that cancer is a fatal disease. Current knowledge allows us to live with cancer, such as diabetes, and some are completely curable.
The second point is that one important thing we can do in the fight against cancer is prevention. This primary and secondary. We know more and more factors that increase the risk of disease, we can assess them and even improve certain parameters. As if to escape from the path leading to the risk of falling ill.
Recent studies show that endometrial cancer may be related to the carrier of a mutation in a specific gene. Is it possible to check it, e.g. by purchasing tests from popular onpackages, or can only specialized analyzes confirm it?
Early diagnosis of cancer is curable - it's true, but you can actually do blood tests that show genetic mutations or levels of specific minerals. Thanks to this, we will estimate the risk of falling ill in our case, and depending on the result, we can take appropriate action so that the topic of cancer does not concern us. In any case, the current results of scientific research can estimate this risk with high probability.
Endometrial cancer can be referred to as endometrial cancer or endometrial cancer, but many people believe that cervical cancer is the same cancer …
The endometrium is the epithelium that lines the uterine cavity thatlocated in the body of the uterus. The risk factors for developing endometrial cancer are different from those of cervical cancer. In cancer of the body, these are: age over 40, infertility or minority, metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Also hormonal disorders, anovulatory cycles and genetic factors.
In the case of cervical cancer it is the HPV virus, and in the case of endometrial cancer, hormonal and metabolic disorders are important. So it is a multi-cause event.
We hear a lot about cervical cancer, breast cancer, and endometrial cancer is mentioned less often. How many women in Poland suffer from this type of cancer?
Currently, there are almost 10,000 cases in the country of the disease. per year, of which more than two thousand women die. This cancer ranks 4th in terms of cancer incidence and 6th in the cause of death. The number of cases is constantly increasing, as there are more and more people with obesity, metabolic and hormonal disorders. Since the risk factors are known, you can try to control the situation.
For example, cervical cancer has virtually disappeared in Europe from statistics, thanks to vaccination. In Poland, several thousand women suffer from cervical cancer every year. This is the result of a lack of education.
Endometrial cancer is closely related to hormones, but also to lifestyle. Obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance - these diseases are influenced by how we live, right?
Yes, we are eating more and more sugar, processed foods. Producers and shareholders are happy because they make money, but unfortunately processed foods with excess sugar, fructose, trans fat, pesticides, antibiotics, etc. harm our he alth. It increases the risk of metabolic and hormonal disorders, such as the already mentioned insulin resistance.
In turn, high levels of glucose are stored in the body as adipose tissue, so your body weight increases. This causes hormonal and metabolic disturbances, which over time can lead to obesity.
Endometrial cancer is one of the most hormone-sensitive cancers. Therefore, a certain group of women has a high risk of developing this type of cancer.
In addition to hormonal and metabolic disorders, a woman at risk of developing endometrial cancer may have irregular / anovulatory cycles. However, some optimistic news is that endometrial cancer grows relatively slowly, showing itself with abnormal bleeding before it actually makes itself felt. So it's time to do your research.
You just have to be aware that any abnormal bleeding should be cleared up.
What a womanshould you worry?
Most frequently heavy periods, sometimes with visible clots. Often prolonged additional bleeding. That something is happening to the endometrium can be seen by performing an ultrasound of the reproductive organ or an additional MRI scan. Often, such menstruation is accompanied by other disorders - problems with maintaining body weight, metabolic disorders, problems with the thyroid gland.
From a doctor's perspective, this type of cancer is one of the most recognizable types. It may show as abnormal bleeding that is properly diagnosed and treated. The histopathological result is the basis for further treatment. Check-ups are always the basis of he alth prophylaxis, which should be treated as a whole.
As with many other diseases, if there is a family history of endometrial cancer, are you at risk? On the other hand, most women with this type of cancer are women over 40, right?
Yes, you are at risk then, but please remember that a lot depends on physical activity, how we live and how we care for ourselves. Do we carry out regular tests, whether we eat he althy and ecological? In the case of this cancer, it is not that today it was not there, and tomorrow it is. You should get regular checkups, especially if you are at risk.
The ultrasound exam assesses the condition of the endometrium and any abnormalities should be cleared up. It's like the sum of different factors, each of which has to do with our immunity, which really starts in the gut and we inherit it from our parents. The microbiome, which is individually shaped by nutrition, plays a decisive role in immune immunity. The effect of vegetable fiber reinforced with silage is positive.
There are also factors that reduce the risk of endometrial cancer, for example pregnancy. What other factors reduce the chance of getting sick?
It is certainly very important to have children, because when a woman is pregnant for 9 months and breastfeeding for the next six months, the uterine epithelium disappears. The risk of getting sick is reduced. Contraception, especially an IUD with a hormone, also works.
The epithelium in the uterus is atrophied, reducing the risk of abnormal endometrial growth. So, on the one hand, we have a contraceptive effect, but we also reduce the risk of endometrial cancer. In the case of women who are at risk of falling ill with someone in their family, it would be worth thinking about this particular contraceptive thatadditionally it will protect against getting sick.
Of course, you should always remember the basics, i.e. proper physical activity and correct body weight, which will be obtained through a balanced diet. It is also worth performing tests to assess the state of the body holistically. Especially ultrasound of the thyroid gland, breast, reproductive organ, but also specific metabolic and hormonal assessment parameters in blood tests.
While the cytology can detect cervical cancer, it will not work in endometrial cancer, but many women believe that if they undergo regular pap smear tests, they are safe.
In the case of this tumor, ultrasound is necessary, because it shows us how the uterus is built, whether there is endometrial hyperplasia, fibroids, polyps, what the ovaries look like. This study gives a lot of information, especially when a woman has a problem of heavy periods, which may just be one of the symptoms of endometrial cancer. Most of the sick women come to the office because they want to change the fact that her periods are clotted, very heavy, lasting more than 5 days. That's why they are looking for a diagnosis and advice.
Thanks to ultrasound, you can determine what the uterine epithelium looks like. Of course, histopathological verification is later required when excessive hyperplasia is found. But the very appearance of the endometrium itself tells us a lot. Only further analyzes can identify neoplastic cells, because the doctor may only suspect that this epithelium does not look good, that there is too much of it, that it affects a specific uterine wall, or that there is an infiltration.
In turn, the mentioned metabolic disorders, such as overweight and obesity, may favor the development of this cancer, right?
Obesity and overweight significantly increase the risk, because they also indicate hormonal disorders that go hand in hand with metabolic disorders. When you look at a given case of uterine cancer, you can see common points. We should also remember that some disorders lead to other diseases - obesity can cause type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance.
Weight gain is also often associated with hypothyroidism, PCOS, and high prolactin levels.
Does advanced endometrial cancer most often end with removal of the uterus and appendages?
This happens when the cancer is advanced and highly malignant. It invades the wall of the uterine muscle. You could say that it takes time to ignore an abnormal bleeding or not to have a checkup to get there. The efficacy of endometrial cancer treatment is high, but depends on the stage at initiationtreatment.
Remember about the tests, and if we have the opportunity - it is worth doing a blood test: onpackage 6 meers. This is a very important issue because it will give us an answer to the question of what are the levels of arsenic, cadmium or lead, as well as zinc, selenium and copper. You can then modify your diet accordingly to achieve safe levels.
Women should pay attention to heavy menstrual bleeding, if they do occur regularly, at least every 28 days (+/- 4 days), that they should not last a week, but only up to 5 days, and should not contain blood clots. When we notice such symptoms, it is really worth going to the gynecologist, having an ultrasound and checking what may be the cause - hormonal disorders, maybe a myoma, polyp or just endometrial hyperplasia, especially when you are over 35 years old.
gynecologist-obstetrician Tadeusz OleszczukGynecologist-obstetrician with over 30 years of experience. Author of the books "What the gynecologist will not tell you" and "Calm your hormones".
www.tadeuszoleszczuk.pl
fb.com / drtadeusz
Read other articles from the StrefaKobiety series:
- First visit to the gynecologist: what can you expect?
- Ignorance or maybe ignorance? Why do women die of cancer?
- 20 percent couples deal with infertility. Mostly not the fault of the woman
- Last menstruation and menopause. How to prepare for it?
- A woman must be he althy before starting contraception
- How to take care of intimate hygiene to avoid infections?
- Allergies - where do they come from? Allergy to semen and condoms
- Gynecologist banning abortion: Let's not condemn women to suffering at risk of losing he alth and life
- Pain in the intimate areas. Is it normal to feel pain?
- Sexually transmitted diseases. How to take care of your safety?
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), or when the body and mind suffer
- Gynecological visit during a pandemic. What has changed?
- Breasts. What about their appearance should worry us?
- Are you pregnant and afraid to vaccinate against COVID-19? Expert explains why it is worth doing this
- Why is it so long to be diagnosed with endometriosis?
- Why are uterine fibroids mostly only monitored?
- Gynecologist: People are afraid to name the basic elements of the reproductive system, let alone know what the physiology of the cycle looks like
Patrycja Pupiec Editor specializing in he alth promotion and psychology. Curiosity about people and their stories pushes her to make it difficultsocially themes. Author of the StrefaKobiety series devoted to women's he alth, in which she talks with a doctor about prevention and the problems they face. He likes to be up to date, which is why he follows scientific discoveries, especially those related to medicine. Privately, a lover of animals, hiking and the work of Edward Stachura.