Cancer of the endometrium is estimated that there will be over 40,000 new cases and 4000 deaths. The median age for endometrial cancer is about 58 years. The risk factors associated with the development of carcinoma of the endometrium are  obesity, nullipara, late menopause, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, breast,colon or ovarian cancer, chronic unopposed estrogen stimulation, and chronic tamoxifen use.

Screening

Population screening for endometrial cancer is not feasible, because there is no simple method of cancer detection available. However, screening may be justified for high risk women, including those with a family history of Lynch II syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome), those with polycystic ovarian disease, any woman with an intact uterus taking unopposed estrogen, and possibly those taking tamoxifen. Only about 50% of women with endometrial cancel will have malignant cells on a pap smear

Symptoms

Abnormal vaginal bleeding is the most common symptom of endometrial cancer. Etiology of postmenopausal bleeding:

1. Exogenous estrogens
2. Atrophic endometritis, vaginitis
3. Endometrial cancer
4. Endometrial or cervical polyps
5. Endometrial hyperplasia
6. Miscellaneous

Sign

Evidence of metastatic disease is unusual at initial presentation, but the chest shoud be examined for any effusion and the abdomen carefully palpated and percussed to exclude ascites, hepatomegaly, or evidence of upper abdominal masses.

On pelvic examination, the external genitalia are usually normal. The vagina and cervix are also usually normal but shoud be carefully inspected and palpated for evidence of involment. A patulous cervical os a firm, expanded cervix may indicate extension of disiase from the corpus to servix. A granulosa cell tumor or an endometrioid ovarian carcinoma may occasionally coexist with endometrial cancer. (doc r3nd5an)