Uterine Cancer

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts, even if it spreads to other body parts later. When cancer starts in the uterus, it is called uterine cancer. The uterus is the pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis (the area below your stomach and in between your hip bones). The uterus, also called the womb, is where the baby grows when a woman is pregnant. The most common type of uterine cancer is also called endometrial cancer because it forms in the lining of your uterus, called the endometrium.

Learn more by downloading the Inside Knowledge campaign's uterine cancer fact sheet. (PDF-856KB)

Who Gets Uterine Cancer?

All women are at risk for uterine cancer, but the risk increases with age. Most uterine cancers are found in women who are going through or who have gone through menopause—the time of life when your menstrual periods stop. In 2005,* 37,465 women in the United States were told that they had uterine cancer, making it the fourth most common cancer in women.^†

*Latest year for which statistics are available.

^†Source: USCS.