Cancer Types

Endometrial cancer treatment

If you have been diagnosed with endometrial cancer, your doctor will discuss the best options for treating it. This depends on several factors, including the type and stage of cancer, as well as your general health. One or more of the following therapies may be recommended to treat endometrial cancer or help relieve symptoms.

Surgical operation

Surgery is the main treatment for endometrial cancer. Typically, surgery for endometrial cancer includes:

Total hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus)

Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes)

Omental biopsy pelvic fat pad

Pelvic and lower abdominal lymph node removal

Sometimes a radical hysterectomy is done. This means removing:

uterus

Cervix and surrounding tissue

Upper vagina

Depending on your health and how far endometrial cancer has spread, surgery may be:

Minimally invasive: After making several small incisions (cuts) in the abdomen, the doctor uses laparoscopic or robotic surgery to remove the organ. The uterus is usually removed through the vagina.

Incision: A large incision is made in the abdomen.

Surgery for endometrial cancer may include:

Pelvic irrigation: After removing the uterus, the surgeon injects saline (saline) into the pelvic area. Then, the saline solution is examined under a microscope.

Tumor reduction: If the cancer has spread to the abdomen, it may be removed. This means that the surgeon removes as much of the tumor as possible before proceeding with other types of treatment.

radiotherapy

Radiation therapy may be used to treat endometrial cancer after a hysterectomy or as the primary treatment when surgery is not possible. Depending on the stage and grade of the cancer, radiation therapy may also be used at other treatment points.

New radiation therapy techniques and superior skills allow doctors to target endometrial cancer tumors more precisely, delivering the maximum amount of radiation therapy with the least damage to healthy cells.

The most advanced radiation treatments available for endometrial cancer include:

Brachytherapy: Tiny radioactive particles are placed in the body close to the tumor

Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy: Several beams of radiation are given based on the exact shape of the tumor.

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) : Treatment is tailored to the specific shape of the tumor.

Talk to your doctor about possible side effects of radiation therapy for endometrial cancer. Some women have lymphedema in their legs. This is caused by a blockage of lymph fluid. Lymphedema may not begin until a few months after treatment, but it usually does not go away. However, there are treatments that can help.

chemotherapy

Doctors offer the most advanced chemotherapy regimens for endometrial cancer.

Hormone therapy

Some hormones cause the growth of certain endometrial cancers. If tests show that cancer cells have receptors that can attach the hormones, drugs can be used to reduce the hormones or stop them from working.

Hormones that may be used to treat endometrial cancer include:

Progesterone

Tamoxifen

Aromatase inhibitor