The Treatment of Uterine Cancer in Germany
Each year, approximately 11,000 new cases of uterine cancer are diagnosed in Germany. The disease most commonly affects women aged 70–74. This article discusses the symptoms and causes of uterine cancer, who is at risk and how the disease is diagnosed and treated.
Uterine cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system, with one in every 47 women developing it during their lifetime.
Symptoms of Uterine Cancer
The main symptom is postmenopausal bleeding. However, only 18% of uterine bleeding is associated with uterine cancer. The remaining bleeding is caused by other factors, such as excessive growth of the uterine lining (endometriosis) or cervical cancer.
Unlike cervical cancer, the tumor forms inside the uterus itself and does not manifest in the early stages. "The main warning sign," says Professor Diethelm Wallwiener, director of the Center for Gynecology at the University Hospital of Tübingen, "is bleeding during menopause." If you are young and experience heavy bleeding between periods, you should see a gynecologist immediately.
Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer
If symptoms are present that raise suspicion, a hysteroscopy is performed. This procedure involves examining the interior of the uterus. During the procedure, samples are taken from any suspicious areas of the mucous membrane for histological analysis. If cancer is suspected, additional tests are performed to determine the tumor's size and whether it has spread throughout the body. These include ultrasounds, X-rays, and laboratory blood tests, as well as cystoscopies and colonoscopies if necessary.
Methods of Treating Uterine Cancer in Germany
There are four methods of treating uterine cancer:
- Surgery: removal of the uterus.
- Radiation therapy: a beam of ionizing radiation destroys cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy: treatment of cancer cells with chemotherapy drugs.
- Hormone therapy: destroying tumor cells using female sex hormones.
Surgery remains the most common treatment method. When a tumor is detected, the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries are typically removed. Depending on the stage of the disease, lymph nodes may also be removed.
The surgery can be performed through an incision in the abdominal wall (laparotomy) or using a minimally invasive technique (laparoscopy), in which the removal is carried out with a laparoscope, a special instrument. In this case, the surgical instruments enter the abdominal cavity through small incisions. This reduces blood loss and the risk of damaging healthy tissue. The recovery period after laparoscopic surgery is quick and painless.
Sometimes, preventive radiation therapy is prescribed after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence of uterine cancer. For advanced stages, doctors recommend chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Who is at increased risk?
The exact causes of uterine cancer are still unknown, but it is well established that overweight women and patients with diabetes are at increased risk. Women who have never had children and those exposed to prolonged levels of estrogen, the female sex hormone, are also at increased risk. Irregular menstrual cycles contribute to the degeneration of uterine cells.
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