Uterine Sarcoma – Diagnosis and Treatment

A rare type of cancer that affects the muscle and tissues of the uterus, uterine sarcoma commonly occurs in post menopausal women.

There are two main kinds of uterine sarcoma cancer: leiomyosarcoma and endometrial stromal sarcoma. Leiomyosarcoma starts in the smooth muscle cells of the uterus and can spread to affect the entire organ, while endometrial stromal sarcoma attacks the connective tissues of the uterus.

Research has shown that women who have had a long term exposure to x-ray radiation have a greater chance of developing uterine sarcoma. Ironically women who have had medical radiation therapy in their pelvic region are under risk of contracting uterine cancer in the future.

Women suffering of breast cancer who were prescribed the drug tamoxifen are also susceptible to uterine sarcoma. Women taking the drug should undergo regular pelvic examination by their gynecologists – any abnormal bleeding in the pelvis should be reported immediately.

It is important, however, to point out that not all aberrant growths in the uterus after menopause are cancerous. Many women experience unnatural uterine growths following menopause – the vast majority are diagnosed to be harmless benign growths, and not a cause for concern.

As with all forms of cancer the best way to treat uterine sarcoma is to detect it in its earliest stages. The progression of the disease is split into four stages. In the first stage the cancer is confined to the uterus and has yet to spread to other organs. Diagnosis at this early stage means that the patient has a much higher chance of getting successful treatment and making a full recovery. The fourth and final stage of uterine sarcoma is when the cancer has spread from the pelvic area to the rest of the body.

Treatment for uterine sarcoma is a combination of all the basic cancer treatments: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Surgery is often the first step in treatment, where the surgeons do their best to manually remove all the malignant tissue from the uterus. Surgery is typically followed by repeated bouts of radiation or chemotherapy to remove any remaining cancer cells left behind after surgery.