The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.

Summary of Evidence

Added text to state that most cases of endometrial cancer are diagnosed because of symptoms, which are nonetheless “early” stage and have high survival rates.

Significance

Added text to state that most cases of endometrial cancer are diagnosed because of symptoms, which are nonetheless “early” stage and have high survival rates.

Added Heiss et al. as reference 6, Doherty et al. as reference 7, Barakat et al. as reference 8, and Cuzick et al. as reference 9.

Evidence of Benefit

Added text to state that using the same cutoffs to define an abnormal ET in asymptomatic women as used in symptomatic women would result in large numbers of false-positive test results and larger numbers of unnecessary referrals for cytological evaluations (cited 2004 Smith-Bindman et al. as reference 4 and 1998 Smith-Bindman et al. as reference 5).

Added Ultrasonography in women with vaginal bleeding as a new subsection.

Added text about a study that obtained endometrial biopsy specimens from 801 asymptomatic perimenopausal and postmenopausal women prior to enrollment in an HRT/HT study (cited Archer et al. as reference 10).

Added Sonohysterography as a new subsection.

Added text to state that several methods of biopsy, such as Pipelle, Tao Brush, and Uterine Explora Curette, exist to identify endometrial pathology.

Added Gumus et al. as reference 13.

Special Populations

Added text to state that women using certain hormone regimens have an increased risk of endometrial cancer, and there is no evidence that screening these women would decrease mortality from endometrial cancer.

Added text to state that cases of endometrial cancer in women with or at risk of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer are often diagnosed in the fifth decade, 10 to 20 years earlier than sporadic cases (cited Lancaster et al. as reference 7).

Added text to state that endometrial abnormalities in women taking tamoxifen are common, especially in false-positive endovaginal ultrasound screening tests.

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