Uterine Cancer — Cancer Stat Facts

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Statistics at a Glance

At a Glance

Estimated New Cases in 2020 65,620

% of All New Cancer Cases 3.6%

Estimated Deaths in 2020 12,590

% of All Cancer Deaths 2.1%

5-Year
Relative Survival

81.2% 2010–2016

Year	Rate of New Cases — SEER 9		Rate of New Cases — SEER 13		Death Rate — U.S.		5-Year Relative Survival — SEER 9
Year	Observed	Modeled Trend	Observed	Modeled Trend	Observed	Modeled Trend	Observed	Modeled Trend
1975	35.49	35.93	-	-	5.28	5.39	87.99%	88.23%
1976	34.37	33.79	-	-	5.33	5.30	87.52%	87.00%
1977	31.67	31.77	-	-	5.22	5.22	85.60%	85.65%
1978	30.05	29.87	-	-	5.10	5.13	84.50%	84.18%
1979	27.91	28.08	-	-	4.99	5.05	83.51%	82.57%
1980	27.32	27.60	-	-	5.12	4.97	79.83%	80.82%
1981	27.27	27.13	-	-	4.88	4.89	80.69%	81.02%
1982	26.78	26.67	-	-	4.85	4.81	80.99%	81.21%
1983	26.51	26.21	-	-	4.80	4.73	81.06%	81.41%
1984	25.69	25.77	-	-	4.68	4.66	82.79%	81.60%
1985	25.23	25.33	-	-	4.61	4.58	83.02%	81.80%
1986	24.38	24.89	-	-	4.44	4.51	82.12%	81.99%
1987	24.71	24.47	-	-	4.42	4.44	81.59%	82.17%
1988	23.58	24.05	-	-	4.35	4.37	82.33%	82.36%
1989	24.43	24.21	-	-	4.26	4.30	83.25%	82.55%
1990	25.03	24.37	-	-	4.34	4.27	82.68%	82.73%
1991	24.63	24.54	-	-	4.18	4.24	83.31%	82.91%
1992	24.78	24.70	24.41	24.67	4.21	4.21	85.36%	83.09%
1993	24.30	24.87	23.89	24.63	4.17	4.18	83.21%	83.27%
1994	25.11	25.04	24.31	24.58	4.15	4.15	82.39%	83.45%
1995	25.34	25.20	24.88	24.53	4.15	4.13	84.30%	83.62%
1996	24.94	25.37	24.50	24.48	4.13	4.10	83.41%	83.79%
1997	25.88	25.54	25.27	24.43	4.00	4.07	84.16%	83.97%
1998	25.74	25.44	24.92	24.39	4.10	4.08	83.42%	84.14%
1999	25.34	25.33	24.63	24.34	4.08	4.10	84.46%	84.08%
2000	24.81	25.23	23.85	24.29	4.11	4.11	85.37%	84.03%
2001	25.29	25.13	24.75	24.24	4.18	4.12	83.30%	83.98%
2002	24.95	25.02	24.00	24.20	4.17	4.13	83.01%	83.92%
2003	24.38	24.92	23.61	24.15	4.14	4.15	83.58%	83.87%
2004	25.12	24.82	24.05	24.10	4.14	4.16	82.78%	83.82%
2005	25.00	24.71	24.15	24.06	4.12	4.17	83.18%	83.76%
2006	24.61	24.61	24.07	24.01	4.23	4.19	85.01%	83.71%
2007	25.32	25.41	24.51	24.75	4.20	4.20	84.04%	83.66%
2008	26.15	26.23	25.35	25.52	4.21	4.21	83.02%	83.60%
2009	27.41	27.08	26.54	26.32	4.17	4.29	83.35%	83.55%
2010	27.47	27.21	26.74	26.50	4.45	4.38	83.59%	83.49%
2011	27.17	27.35	26.63	26.69	4.48	4.46	82.71%	83.44%
2012	27.54	27.48	27.11	26.88	4.52	4.55	83.11%	83.39%
2013	27.01	27.62	26.62	27.07	4.65	4.63	-	83.33%
2014	27.74	27.76	27.19	27.27	4.73	4.72	-	83.28%
2015	27.63	27.89	27.09	27.46	4.80	4.82	-	83.22%
2016	28.13	28.03	27.85	27.66	5.01	4.91	-	83.16%
2017	28.56	28.17	28.11	27.85	5.02	5.00	-	83.11%
2018	-	-	-	-	5.01	5.10	-	83.05%

New cases come from SEER 13. Deaths come from U.S. Mortality.
All Races, Females. Rates are Age-Adjusted.
Modeled trend lines were calculated from the underlying rates using the Joinpoint Trend Analysis Software.

New cases are also referred to as incident cases in other publications. Rates of new cases are also referred to as incidence rates.

Rate of New Cases and Deaths per 100,000: The rate of new cases of uterine cancer was 27.8 per 100,000 women per year. The death rate was 4.9 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2013–2017 cases and 2014–2018 deaths.

Lifetime Risk of Developing Cancer: Approximately 3.1 percent of women will be diagnosed with uterine cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2015–2017 data.

Prevalence of This Cancer: In 2017, there were an estimated 793,846 women living with uterine cancer in the United States.

Play Did You Know Video — **Did you know?**
Uterine cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system.

**Did you know?**
Uterine cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system.

Did You Know? Video Series

Survival Statistics

How Many People Survive 5 Years Or More after Being Diagnosed with Uterine Cancer?

Relative survival is an estimate of the percentage of patients who would be expected to survive the effects of their cancer. It excludes the risk of dying from other causes. Because survival statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. No two patients are entirely alike, and treatment and responses to treatment can vary greatly.

5-Year
Relative Survival

81.2%

Based on data from SEER 18 2010–2016. Gray figures represent those who have died from uterine cancer. Green figures represent those who have survived 5 years or more.

Additional Information

Survival by Stage

Cancer stage at diagnosis, which refers to extent of a cancer in the body, determines treatment options and has a strong influence on the length of survival. In general, if the cancer is found only in the part of the body where it started it is localized (sometimes referred to as stage 1). If it has spread to a different part of the body, the stage is regional or distant. The earlier uterine cancer is caught, the better chance a person has of surviving five years after being diagnosed. For uterine cancer, 67.2% are diagnosed at the local stage. The 5-year relative survival for localized uterine cancer is 95.0%.

Percent of Cases & 5-Year Relative Survival by Stage at Diagnosis: Uterine Cancer

Stage	Percent of Cases	5-Year Relative Survival
Localized Confined to Primary Site	67%	95.0%
Regional Spread to Regional Lymph Nodes	20%	69.4%
Distant Cancer Has Metastasized	9%	17.3%
Unknown Unstaged	3%	53.2%

SEER 18 2010–2016, All Races, Females by SEER Summary Stage 2000

Additional Information

New Cases and Deaths

How Common Is This Cancer?

Compared to other cancers, uterine cancer is fairly common.

Rank	Common Types of Cancer	Estimated New Cases 2020	Estimated Deaths 2020
1.	Breast Cancer (Female)	276,480	42,170
2.	Lung and Bronchus Cancer	228,820	135,720
3.	Prostate Cancer	191,930	33,330
4.	Colorectal Cancer	147,950	53,200
5.	Melanoma of the Skin	100,350	6,850
6.	Bladder Cancer	81,400	17,980
7.	Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	77,240	19,940
8.	Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer	73,750	14,830
9.	Uterine Cancer	65,620	12,590
10.	Leukemia	60,530	23,100

Uterine cancer represents 3.6% of all new cancer cases in the U.S.

3.6%

In 2020, it is estimated that there will be 65,620 new cases of uterine cancer and an estimated 12,590 people will die of this disease.

Who Gets This Cancer?

Most cases of endometrial cancer are diagnosed in women aged 45–74. The rate of new cases of uterine cancer was 27.8 per 100,000 women per year based on 2013–2017 cases, age-adjusted.

Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity: Uterine Cancer

Males

All Races	Sex-specific cancer type
White
Black
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian/Alaska Native
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic

Females

All Races	27.8
White	28.3
Black	27.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	21.7
American Indian/Alaska Native	19.9
Hispanic	24.6
Non-Hispanic	28.2

SEER 21 2013–2017, Age-Adjusted

Percent of New Cases by Age Group: Uterine Cancer

Age Range	Percent of New Cases
<20	0.0%
20–34	1.5%
35–44	4.9%
45–54	15.2%
55–64	33.9%
65–74	28.8%
75–84	11.8%
>84	3.9%

Uterine cancer is most frequently diagnosed among women aged 55–64.

Median Age
At Diagnosis

SEER 21 2013–2017, All Races, Females

Who Dies From This Cancer?

Most deaths from endometrial cancer occur in women who are middle-aged or older. Uterine cancer is the fifteenth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The death rate was 4.9 per 100,000 women per year based on 2014–2018, age-adjusted.

Death Rate per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity: Uterine Cancer

Males

All Races	Sex-specific cancer type
White
Black
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian/Alaska Native
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic

Females

All Races	4.9
White	4.5
Black	8.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	3.2
American Indian/Alaska Native	3.5
Hispanic	4.1
Non-Hispanic	5.0

U.S. 2014–2018, Age-Adjusted

Percent of Deaths by Age Group: Uterine Cancer

Age Range	Percent of Deaths
<20	0.0%
20–34	0.4%
35–44	1.8%
45–54	7.0%
55–64	22.8%
65–74	32.9%
75–84	22.5%
>84	12.7%

The percent of uterine cancer deaths is highest among women aged 65–74.

Median Age
At Death

U.S. 2014–2018, All Races, Females

Trends in Rates

Changes Over Time

Keeping track of new cases, deaths, and survival over time (trends) can help scientists understand whether progress is being made and where additional research is needed to address challenges, such as improving screening or finding better treatments.

Using statistical models for analysis, age-adjusted rates for new uterine cancer cases have been rising on average 0.8% each year over 2008–2017. Age-adjusted death rates have been rising on average 1.9% each year over 2009–2018. 5-year relative survival trends are shown below.

New Cases, Deaths and 5-Year Relative Survival

View Data Table

Interactive Statistics with SEER*Explorer

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SEER*Explorer is an interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. It provides detailed statistics for a cancer site by gender, race, calendar year, age, and for a selected number of cancer sites, by stage and histology.

Explore Additional Uterine Cancer Statistics

More About This Cancer

Cancer and the Uterus

Illustration of female reporductive anatomy. — **Figure: Female Reproductive Anatomy**
Click to enlarge.

Figure: Female Reproductive Anatomy

Figure: Anatomy of the female reproductive system; drawing shows the uterus, myometrium (muscular outer layer of the uterus), endometrium (inner lining of the uterus), ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and vagina.

Uterine cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the endometrium.

The endometrium is the lining of the uterus, a hollow, muscular organ in a woman’s pelvis. In most non-pregnant women, the uterus is about 3 inches long. The lower, narrow end of the uterus is the cervix, which leads to the vagina.

Additional Information

Learn more about uterine cancer

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about uterine cancer.

References

All statistics in this report are based on statistics from SEER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Most can be found within SEER*Explorer.

Suggested Citation

All material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Uterine Cancer. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/corp.html

These stat facts focus on population statistics that are based on the U.S. population. Because these statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. To see tailored statistics, browse SEER*Explorer. To see statistics for a specific state, go to the State Cancer Profiles.

The statistics presented in these stat facts are based on the most recent data available, most of which can be found in SEER*Explorer. In some cases, different year spans may be used.

Estimates of new cases and deaths for 2020 are projections made by the American Cancer Society (ACS), based on earlier reported data.

Cancer is a complex topic. There is a wide range of information available. These stat facts do not address causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, or decision making, although links are provided to information in many of these areas.