Here is an article about endometrial cancer. Under an electron microscope, cancer cells can be revealed using tissue slides of microscopic tissues to be examined under the microscope. The endometrium is the lining of the uterus. The uterus is a hollow, muscular organ in a pelvis of a woman and the uterus is where a fetus grows. It is noted that the uterus is about 3 inches long in most nonpregnant women.
Endometrial cancer is a disease in which malignant or cancer cells form in the tissues of the endometrium. Cancer of the endometrium is different from cancer of the muscle of the uterus, which is called sarcoma of the uterus. Endometrial cancer may develop in breast cancer patients who have been treated with tamoxifen.
A patient taking tamoxifen drug should have a pelvic examination every year and report any vaginal bleeding other than menstrual bleeding, as soon as possible. Women taking estrogen, a hormone that can affect the growth of some cancers, alone have an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer. Taking estrogen in combination with progesterone, which is another hormone, does not increase the risk of this cancer in women.
Since endometrial cancer begins inside the uterus, it does not usually show up in the results of a Pap test. For this reason, a sample of endometrial tissue must be removed and examined under a electron microscope to look for cancer cells. One of the following procedures may be used. Endometrial biopsy: A procedure in which a thin flexible tube is inserted through the cervix into the uterus. The tube is used to tenderly scrape small amounts of tissue from the lining of the uterus. The tissue samples of the endometrium are then sucked out through the tube. Dilatation and curettage or D&C procedure done in which the cervix is dilated so that a surgical instrument can be inserted into the uterus in order to remove larger tissue samples.
After endometrial cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the uterus or to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out whether the cancer has spread within the uterus or to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan the best treatment. Certain tests and procedures are used in the staging process. A hysterectomy, which is an operation in which the uterus is removed, will usually be done to help find out how far the cancer has spread.
In stage I, cancer is found in the uterus only. Cancer is not found in the cervix, the canal between the uterus and the vagina. Stage I is divided into stages IA, IB, and IC, based on how far the disease has spread from the endometrial into the muscles of the uterus. In stage II, cancer has spread from the uterus to the cervix, but not beyond the cervix. Stage II is divided into stages IIA and IIB, based on how far the disease has spread into the cervix. In stage III, cancer has spread beyond the uterus and cervix, but has not spread beyond the pelvis. Stage III is divided into stages IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC, based on whether cancer has spread to the connective tissue holding the uterus in place, the ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, and lymph nodes in the pelvis. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body. They filter substances in a fluid called lymph and help fight infection and disease. In stage IV, cancer has spread beyond the pelvis. Stage IV is divided into stages IVA and IVB, based on whether cancer has spread to the lining of the bladder, the sac that holds urine, to the bowel, or to lymph nodes or other parts of the body beyond the pelvis.
The treatment options and prognosis or chance of recovery from this disease depend on the stage of the cancer, whether it is in the endometrium only, involves the whole uterus, or has spread to other places in the body, the type of cancer, the size of the tumor, and the patient’s general health. The chance of recovery may also depend on how the cancer cells look under a electron microscope and whether they are affected by progesterone. Endometrial cancer is highly curable. Read the rest of the article