Finding uterine cancer early

The best ways to find uterine cancer early are to recognize symptoms and get regular health checkups. When uterine cancer is found and treated early, the chances of successful treatment are better.

See your doctor regularly

The sooner you report symptoms, the sooner your doctor can try to find out what is causing them. See your doctor if you have:

• vaginal bleeding between periods
• heavy frequent vaginal bleeding before or during menopause
• vaginal bleeding after menopause
• vaginal bleeding with intercourse
• unusual vaginal discharge that is foul smelling, pus-like or bloody
• pain during intercourse
• pelvic pain or pressure

Most women should have regular Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer. Pap tests sometimes also find uterine cancer. It is not used as a regular screening test for uterine cancer because it was developed to find cervical cancer cells, not uterine cancer. A Pap test doesn’t reach the inside of the uterus so it will not find all uterine cancers.

Know what puts you at high risk

Some women have a higher than average risk of developing uterine cancer. You may be at higher risk if you:

• take tamoxifen (Nolvadex, Tamofen) for breast cancer
• have polycystic ovarian syndrome
• have atypical endometrial hyperplasia (abnormal cells in the lining of the uterus)
• have an inherited cancer syndrome, such as Lynch syndrome (also called hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, or HNPCC) or Cowden syndrome

Talk to your doctor about your risk. If you are at higher than average risk, you may need a personal plan for testing. This may include:

• regular pelvic exam
• endometrial biopsy
• transvaginal ultrasound