Endometrial Cancer Treatment – Introduction

With the increasing number of cancer cases in women, the search for the best treatment for uterine cancer in India has also increased. Our expert doctors lay a huge emphasis on increasing awareness about this most common type of cancer in the uterus.

Endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus and endometrial cancer is that type of uterine cancer that starts in the inner lining of the uterus.

Based on a recent study, around 3 in 100 women shall have a chance of getting diagnosed with uterine cancer at some point of time in their lives. As far as post diagnosis survival is concerned, more than 80 % of females with uterine cancer do survive for at least 5 years or longer after undergoing timely treatment.

Types of Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancers can be divided into various types depending upon how the cells look when viewed under the microscope. They include following categories mainly –

• Adenocarcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Uterine carcinosarcoma
• Transitional carcinoma
• Small cell carcinoma
• Clear-cell carcinoma
• Serous carcinoma

Most of the endometrial cancers are found to be adenocarcinomas. Endometrioid cancer is the most common kind of adenocarcinoma, so far. These cancers begin in gland cells and resemble a lot like the normal endometrium (uterine lining).

Signs and Symptoms of Endometrial Cancer

Following are the common signs and symptoms of Endometrial Cancer –

• Unusual Vaginal Bleeding, spotting or other discharges
• Persistent pain in the pelvic area/lower abdomen
• Bleeding between your period cycle
• Appearance of a mass in the pelvic area
• Excessive weight loss without putting any extra efforts to lose weight

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, make sure to get yourself checked.

How is Endometrial Cancer Diagnosed?

The first thing you need to do if any of the above symptoms develop is to consult your gynaecologist who would examine you and prescribe some investigations to confirm if these indicate endometrial cancer.

If you get detected with abnormalities during your ultrasound exam, your doctor may advise one or more of the following tests to collect a sample of tissue for testing:

• Endometrial biopsy: During this test, your doctor will insert a thin flexible tube across your cervix right into your uterus. She will apply suction for removing any small piece of tissue from your endometrium through this tube.
• Hysteroscopy: During this procedure, your doctor will insert a thin and flexible tube having a fiber-optic camera through your cervix right into your uterus. She will use this endoscope for visually examining your uterus/endometrium and take biopsy samples of the abnormalities found.
• Dilation and curettage (D&C): In case the results of biopsy are not clear enough, your gynaecologist may collect another sample of endometrial tissue with the help of D&C procedure. For doing this, she will dilate your cervix and use a specific tool for scraping tissue from your endometrium area.Once the tissue sample has been collected from your endometrium, your doctor will then send it to the lab for examination.In case you get detected with endometrial cancer, your gynaecologist will most likely order some additional investigations to be able to rule out if the cancer has spread to other areas.

Oncethe tissue sample has been collected from your endometrium, your doctor will then send it to lab for examination.

In case you get detected with endometrial cancer, your gynaecologist will most likely order some additional investigations to be able to rule out if the cancer has spread to other areas.

Grading of Endometrial Cancer

The grading of an endometrial cancer in India depends upon how much those cancer cells have reached into other areas and glands that look like those glands found to be present in otherwise normal or healthy endometrium.

Let us see below as to what are the different grades –

• Grade 1 – Tumors that have 95% or more of the cancer tissue forming glands.
• Grade 2 – Tumors that have between 50% to 94% of the cancer tissue forming glands.
• Grade 3 – Tumors that have less than 50% of the cancer tissue forming glands. Grade 3 cancers are inclined to be highly aggressive (they grow and spread fast) and have a worse outlook than lower-grade cancers.

In grades 1 and 2, that is, lower-grade cancers, more and more cancer cells form glands. Whereas, in higher-grade cancers like grade 3, more of the cancer cells are unorganized and do not tend to form glands.

Endometrial Cancer Treatment in India

There are various treatment options available for endometrial cancer in India. The most common treatments are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Mentioned below are the 5 types of standard treatment modules for Endometrial Cancer –

• Surgery : Surgery is the primary treatment for endometrial cancer. The type of surgery performed depends on the stage of the disease. For early-stage disease, a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) may be all that is needed. For more advanced disease, a radical hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and surrounding tissues) may be necessary. In some cases, radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be recommended in addition to surgery. Let us help you in finding the best hospitals in India for Endometrial Cancer Surgery. You can also contact us to know the cost of endometrial cancer surgery in India before planning your travel.
• Radiation Therapy : This treatment approach uses high-energy x-rays or other similar types of radiation for killing cancer cells or stopping them from growing further. There are 2 kinds of radiation therapy – External radiation therapy and Internal radiation therapy.
  
  

  

• Chemotherapy : During Chemotherapy, your endometrial cancer treatment will be done by using drugs that stop the growth of cancer cells, by either killing the cells or by keeping from dividing further.
• Targeted Therapy : Targeted therapy is that treatment approach in which your oncologist will make use of drugs or other substances that identify and then attack particular cancer cells. Targeted therapies generally cause lesser harm to normal cells as compared to chemotherapy or even radiation therapy.
• Hormone Therapy : Hormone therapy is the treatment approach that helps in removing hormones or blocking their action and thus stopping cancerous cells from dividing and spreading. Hormones are those substances that are made by glands in our body and spread across the bloodstream. Some hormones too can cause specific cancers to grow.

In conclusion, endometrial cancer is a serious disease that can be effectively treated in India. The country has some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world, and there is a wide range of treatment options available. If you are diagnosed with endometrial cancer, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. With early diagnosis and treatment, the chances of a successful outcome are much higher.