In some cases, knowing the signs and symptoms of uterine sarcoma and discussing them promptly with your health care professional can help find it at an early stage. Unfortunately, many uterine sarcomas reach an advanced stage before recognizable signs and symptoms are present. These signs and symptoms for the 2 main types of uterine sarcoma are different.

Screening tests

Screening refers to testing to find a disease such as cancer in people who do not have symptoms of that disease. At this time, there are no tests or exams to detect uterine sarcomas in women without symptoms (asymptomatic). The Pap test, which screens for cervical cancer, can occasionally find some early uterine sarcomas, but it is not a good test for this type of cancer.

The Pap test is very effective, however, in finding early carcinomas of the cervix (the lower part of the uterus). For information on screening tests for cervical cancer, see our document, Cervical Cancer.

Last Medical Review: 11/18/2009
Last Revised: 11/18/2009