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Dr. Magtibay describes the symptoms associated with endometrial cancer and some common causes including obesity. Dr. Magtibay is a gynecologic cancer specialist and practices medicine at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
Dr. Magtibay:
Fortunately, the majority of women who present with the endometrial cancer are found at an early stage. And the reason for that is that women will oftentimes develop abnormal uterine bleeding.
Most endometrial cancers occur in women after menopause, meaning they have stopped having their periods for a number of years and then all of a sudden will start to have bleeding. Any bleeding after menopause, whether it be just blood stain or a significant flow, needs to be evaluated and it needs to be worked up to prove that it’s not a cancer of the uterine lining.
The causes of endometrial cancer are multi-factoral, actually. Risk factors for developing cancer of the uterus include obesity. This is becoming more and more of a problem in the United States obviously with our obesity epidemic.
Actually, women who are obese, and men as well, have increased levels of endogenous, meaning circulating estrogens in their body, because fat cells can convert some of the hormones produced by your adrenal glands into estrogen, and that estrogen can stimulate the uterus and we know that unopposed estrogen on the uterus can promote a cancer of the uterus.