Self-Assessment Questions

43. Endometrial cancer

• A 55-year-old woman with postmenopausal bleeding is found to have a thickened endometrium on ultrasound, and her endometrial biopsy is suggestive of endometrioid adenocarcinoma. What treatment options are available to her?

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  Correct answer:
  She could have a hysterectomy (surgical removal of her uterus) with concurrent removal of her fallopian tubes and ovaries. If the malignancy is found to invade deeply into or beyond the myometrium of the uterus, then postoperative radiation, chemotherapy or hormonal therapy may be offered. Hormonal receptor status of the cancer may also be assessed in order to guide hormone-based treatment approaches.