The Facts
Cancer of the uterus is the most common cancer of the female reproductive
organs. It's the fourth most common cancer among women overall, behind breast
cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. Fortunately, it's also one of the
most curable cancers. Each year, about 40,000 American
women are diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, with a survival rate of over
80% - and this figure is higher if the cancer is caught early.
Nineteen out of twenty uterine cancers are cancers of the endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus. This is called endometrial cancer. The remaining 5% are tumors of the outer muscular lining, called sarcomas. As a rule, sarcomas are more aggressive and faster spreading.