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Although most cases of endometrial cancer cannot be prevented,
there are some things that may lower your risk of developing this
disease.
One way to lower endometrial cancer risk is to change risk
factors whenever possible. For example, weight loss may reduce the risk
of this type of cancer in those who are obese. Controlling diabetes may
also help reduce the risk. If you have any of these conditions, discuss
them with your doctor.
A healthy diet and exercise can also lower endometrial cancer
risk. Women who exercise on a daily basis can cut their risk in half
compared to women who don’t exercise. As already mentioned in
the risk factor section, maintaining a healthy body weight can
substantially reduce your risk for this cancer.
Estrogen is available in many different forms to treat the
symptoms of menopause, such as pills, skin patches, creams, and vaginal
rings. If you are thinking about using estrogen for menopausal
symptoms, ask your doctor about how it will affect your risk of
endometrial cancer. Although progestins can reduce the risk of
endometrial cancer in women taking estrogen therapy, this combination
increases the risk of breast cancer. If you still have your uterus and
are taking estrogen replacement therapy, discuss this issue with your
doctor.
Getting proper treatment of pre-cancerous disorders of the
endometrium is another way to lower the risk of endometrial cancer.
Most endometrial cancers develop over a period of years. Many are known
to follow and possibly start from less serious abnormalities of the
endometrium called endometrial
hyperplasia (see the section, "What
are the risk factors for endometrial cancer?"). Some cases of
hyperplasia will go away without treatment. Sometimes hyperplasia needs
to be treated with hormones or even surgery. Treatment with progestins
and a dilation and curettage (D & C) or hysterectomy can
prevent hyperplasia from becoming cancerous. (D & C is
described in the section, "How
is endometrial cancer diagnosed?") Abnormal vaginal bleeding
is the most common symptom of endometrial pre-cancers and cancers, and
it needs to be reported and evaluated right away.
Last Medical Review: 07/26/2008
Last Revised: 05/13/2009
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