Among gynecological cancers, endometrial cancer still remains very little known to the general public, although it is the most common after breast cancer. In fact, approximately 8,800 cases are recorded each year in France, as well as 2,500 deaths and its prevalence has been increasing in recent years. This is what doctors from learned societies and patient associations wanted to highlight during a press conference on June 13, 2024, as part of the endometrial cancer awareness campaign planned for September Turquoisegynecological cancer awareness month.
Indeed, the endometrium remains an obscure part of the female anatomy for many people. This is the thin lining that lines the inside of the uterus (also called the body of the uterus), which thickens in menstruating women due to hormones during the first part of the menstrual cycle, then which is evacuated in the form of menstruation in the absence of fertilization. Endometrial cancer can occur when abnormal cells grow in the endometrium and if not treated in time, it can spread throughout the uterus and nearby organs.
What symptom should prompt you to consult a doctor?
If aging is one of the main risk factors of endometrial cancer with peak incidence around 70 to 74 years, other factors can influence its development. It may be linked in particular to environmental risk factors such as exposure to estrogens, the number of children, or even overweight and obesity. But in a minority of cases, this disease can also be associated with a cancer predisposition syndrome such as Lynch syndrome or HNPCC, which requires special monitoring likely to prevent the occurrence of endometrial cancer.
Although little known, a sign must alert women about potential endometrial cancer according to the doctors responsible for the awareness campaign: the presence of abnormal bleeding. The main sign to look out for is “the presence of genital bleeding, even minimal, after menopauseor outside menstrual periods, before menopause”, explains Professor Vincent Lavoué, head of the gynecology department at Rennes University Hospital. “Any postmenopausal woman who has bleeding, even small ones, should consult” his doctor or midwife, adds Professor Alejandra Martinez, surgeon at the IUCT-Oncopôle in Toulouse. For younger women, they should also be alarmed if they notice abnormal bleeding during periods, outside of periods, or after sex. Abnormal bleeding is therefore a key indicator of early-stage endometrial cancer.. At more advanced stages, patients with this cancer may experience pain in the lower abdomen, significant fatigue or even weight loss.
Endometrial cancer: what are the treatments?
“Endometrial cancers are most often detected at an early stage” explains Professor Martin Koskas, surgeon at Bichat hospital in Paris, provided you listen to your body and watch for signs such as abnormal bleeding. He advances a survival rate greater than 70% at 5 years on average after endometrial cancer. Indeed, doctors are unanimous: the earlier the diagnosis of endometrial cancer, the more effective and less burdensome the treatment, the better the chances of recovery.
But how is endometrial cancer treated? “The choice of treatment is adapted to the general condition of the patient, her age and the specificities of her disease.”, specifies Professor Alejandra Martinez. She adds that “the proposed treatment can thus vary from surgery alone to a multidisciplinary approach involving surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or even immunotherapy for cases of advanced or metastatic disease”, in order to emphasize the need to be taken care of as soon as possible to benefit from the least burdensome treatment possible.
Treatment of endometrial cancer: what does the surgical procedure involve?
Treatment of early stage endometrial cancer is a surgical intervention consists in remove the uterusovaries and fallopian tubes, in which metastases could form, then to take the pelvic sentinel lymph nodes to decide on further treatment. Today, in 95% of cases, minimally invasive surgical techniques are favored, such as the laparoscopic approach which corresponds to a closed stomach, classic or robot-assisted operation. These minimally invasive treatments can be performed on an outpatient basis and allow patients to recover more quickly and have less impact on their daily quality of life.
For more serious forms of endometrial cancer, treatment may require combining this surgical intervention with chemotherapy and of radiotherapywhich may have more side effects in patients but “the prognosis of advanced forms is improving thanks to new treatments and clinical research”, reassured Professor Alejandra Martinez.
To maximize the chances of treating endometrial cancer, the best thing is to be treated as soon as possible, hence the importance of consulting your doctor at the slightest abnormal bleeding according to health professionals. “Abnormal discharge that appears, is not normal, on consulte”, concludes Professor Vincent Lavoué.
Source :
- Press conference – “The endometrium is a turquoise orange” campaign – June 13, 2024
