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Signs and Symptoms of Uterine Sarcomas

Certain symptoms might suggest you have a uterine sarcoma. But these symptoms don't always mean that a woman has uterine sarcoma. More often they are caused by something else, such as non-cancerous changes in the uterus (like fibroids), pre-cancer overgrowth of the endometrium, or endometrial carcinoma. Still, if you're having these problems, see a doctor as soon as possible to find the cause and get any needed treatment.

Abnormal bleeding or spotting

Most people diagnosed with uterine sarcomas have abnormal bleeding (bleeding between periods, more bleeding during periods, or bleeding after menopause). This symptom is more often caused by conditions other than cancer, but it's important to have any abnormal bleeding checked right away.

If you've gone through menopause, any vaginal bleeding or spotting is abnormal, and should be reported to your health care professional right away.

Vaginal discharge

Some women with uterine sarcomas have a vaginal discharge that does not have any blood. A discharge is most often a sign of infection or another non-cancer condition, but it also can be a sign of cancer. Any abnormal discharge should be checked by a health care provider.

Pain and/or a mass

Some women with uterine sarcomas might have pain in the pelvis or the abdomen and/or a mass (lump) that can be felt. You or your doctor may be able to feel the mass in your uterus, or you might have a feeling of fullness in your belly and/or pelvis.

Urine or bowel problems

A mass in the pelvis might push on the bladder which can cause you to urinate (pee) more often than usual. It might also disturb the bowels and cause constipation. 

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team

Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

Kostov S, Kornovski Y, Ivanova V, et al. New Aspects of Sarcomas of Uterine Corpus-A Brief Narrative Review. Clin Pract. 2021;11(4):878-900. Published 2021 Nov 22. doi:10.3390/clinpract11040103.

Memarzadeh S and Berek JS. Uterine sarcoma: Classification, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis. In: Chakrabarti A, ed. UpToDate. Waltham, Mass.: UpToDate, 2021. https://www.uptodate.com. Accessed June 7, 2022.

National Cancer Institute. Uterine Sarcoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version. April 8, 2022. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/uterine/patient/uterine-sarcoma-treatment-pdq on June 7, 2022.

Last Revised: September 20, 2022

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