Can Endometrial Cancer Be Found Early?

The best way to find endometrial cancer when it's small (at an early stage) is to see a health care provider if you have any signs and symptoms of endometrial cancer, such as abnormal vaginal bleeding  (that's getting worse, occurring between periods, or happening after menopause) or discharge. Early detection improves the chances that the cancer will be treated successfully.

Early detection tests for endometrial cancer

Early detection (also called screening) is the use of tests to find a disease like cancer, in people who don't have symptoms of that disease. Early detection tests can help find some types of cancer at an early stage -- when it's small and hasn't spread beyond the place it started.

If you are at average risk for endometrial cancer

At this time, there are no screening tests or exams to find endometrial cancer early in people at average endometrial cancer risk who have no symptoms.

The American Cancer Society recommends that, at menopause you should be told about the risks and symptoms of endometrial cancer and strongly encouraged to report any vaginal bleeding, discharge, or spotting to your doctor.

A pelvic exam can find some cancers, including some advanced uterine cancers, but it's not very useful for finding early endometrial cancers.

Screening tests used for cervical cancer, such as a Pap test or HPV (human papillomavirus) test aren’t effective for endometrial cancer. The Pap test, which screens for cervical cancer, can sometimes find early endometrial cancers, but in general, it’s not a good test to find endometrial cancer. For information see Screening Tests for Cervical Cancer.

If you are at increased risk for endometrial cancer

The American Cancer Society recommends that those at increased risk for endometrial cancer be told of their risk and be advised to see their doctor whenever they have any abnormal vaginal bleeding. This includes those at increased risk due to age, late menopause, never giving birth, infertility, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, estrogen treatment or tamoxifen therapy.

Also, people with hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer ( HNPCC or Lynch syndrome ) have a very high risk of endometrial cancer.

If several family members have had colon or endometrial cancer, think about getting genetic counseling to learn about your family’s risk of HNPCC. If you (or a close relative) have genetic testing and are found to have a mutation in one of the genes for HNPCC, you are at high risk of getting endometrial cancer, as well as other types of cancer. See Understanding Genetic Testing for more on this.

The American Cancer Society recommends that anyone with HNPCC who can get endometrial cancer be offered yearly testing with an endometrial biopsy starting at age 35. Their doctors should discuss this test with them, including its risks, benefits, and limits. This applies to those known to carry HNPCC-linked gene mutations, those who are likely to carry such a mutation (for instance, when a mutation is known to be present in the family), and those from families with a tendency to develop colon cancer who have not had genetic testing .

Another option for those who have (or may have) HNPCC is to have a hysterectomy once bearing children is no longer a preference. (See Can Endometrial Cancer Be Prevented?)