|Although more common in post-menopausal women, up to 25 percent
of the cases of uterine cancer occur in women under the age of
50. Once you’ve been diagnosed with uterine cancer — often
referred to as endometrial cancer — what are the next steps?
What questions should you ask and what information should you
seek before moving forward with your treatment? The first step
is a referral to a gynecologic oncologist, a physician that
specializes in treating cancers involving the female
reproductive system. Next, your gynecologic oncologist will
determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body.
There are a number of tests that are used at this stage: blood
and urine tests, chest x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
and CT scans, ultrasound, colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. The
extent of uterine cancer is defined as stages I through IV.
Staging allows the doctor to determine if and where the cancer
has spread, and helps establish the recommended treatment as
well as the prognosis. Stage I cancer is li