Uterine Sarcoma Health Video

Video Transcript

DR. SUZANNE SLAYTON-MILAM: Hi. My name is Dr. Suzanne Slayton-Milam, I'm an Obstetrician/Gynecologist with Cascadia Women's Clinic in Vancouver, Washington. Today we're going to talk about uterine sarcoma. Sarcomas are a more rare form of endometrial or what is known as uterine cancer. These cancers are considered to be more typically more aggressive. The incidence is 17 cases per million women annually. It usually affects the age group between 40 and 60 years of age, and some of the subtypes of uterine sarcomas are more common in African-American women. Risk factors have been difficult to identify and up to 10% of women with this disease, they have a history of pelvic irradiation. Long-term use of tamoxifen for treatment of breast cancer may also increase a patient's risk. The most common presenting symptom is vaginal bleeding. The uterus is often enlarged, so pelvic pressure may also be a symptom. Pain may also accompany the vaginal bleeding. Thus, any abnormal bleeding, even if it is just light spotting, or pink discharge may need to be reported to your physician immediately. Your doctor's work up for an abnormal vaginal bleeding may include the following: Endometrial biopsy, ultrasound examination, CAT scan, or MRI. If endometrial biopsy shows premalignant or malignant cells, your doctor will talk to you about surgery. Uterine sarcomas are required to be initially treated with surgery. This is to clinically stage the cancer, so that the extent of the disease and treatment can be optimized. In premenopausal patients, you will need to discuss with your surgeon if it is okay to preserve the ovaries. In rare cases, there may be sarcoma that is not aggressive. In these patients who wish to preserve their child-bearing potential, a more conservative surgery may be done. Again, this needs to be discussed thoroughly with your surgeon. I hope that this increased your understanding on endometrial or uterine sarcoma.