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Endometrial cancer is the fourth-most common cancer among women in the U.S. While it typically occurs after menopause, younger women can develop the disease too. And for those who hope to become pregnant in the future, Mayo Clinic experts say fertility-sparing treatment may be an option.
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:08) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.
Endometrial cancer begins in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus.
"We are seeing an increase in patients under the age of 45, where particularly our patients who may be in their 20s or 30s and still want future fertility," says Dr. Evelyn Reynolds, a Mayo Clinic gynecologic oncologist.
Standard treatment for endometrial cancer is a hysterectomy, a surgery to remove the uterus. But for some younger patients who want to preserve their ability to become pregnant, there may be another option.
"There are certain criteria that, if a patient meets, they may be a good candidate for fertility-sparing treatment," says Dr. Reynolds. "Lower-grade tumors that are confined to the endometrium are the ideal ones for treatment that can spare the uterus. There are different ways in which we can do targeted resection of the tumor."
Which is bringing hope to eligible patients who want to have children in the future.
"We don't make assumptions. It's always a conversation with the patients, and it's a multidisciplinary approach," says Dr. Reynolds. "I want them to know that there are options."
