Uterine Sarcomas

What is uterine sarcomas?

The stages of uterine sarcoma include:

• Stage I: Cancer is in your uterus.
• Stage II: Spread in your pelvis beyond your uterus.
• Stage III: Spread to areas in the abdomen outside the pelvis, including lymph nodes.
• Stage IV: Spread to distant areas outside the abdomen

What are the symptoms of uterine sarcomas?

Symptoms include:

• Unusual bleeding from your vagina that's unrelated to menstrual periods.
• Vaginal bleeding with a smelly discharge.
• A mass in your vagina or pelvis.
• Feeling of fullness in your abdomen.
• Pelvic pain.
• Having to pee often.
• Constipation.

You may not notice any symptoms until the uterine sarcoma has progressed to a more advanced stage.

Who gets uterine sarcoma?

Most individual diagnosed with uterine sarcomas are over 40, but people as young as 20 have also a uterine sarcoma diagnosis. The average age for uterine sarcoma is approximately 60 years old.

How is uterine sarcoma treated?

Your healthcare professional may use one or more of these therapies to treat uterine sarcoma: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.

Surgery

This is the most commonly used treatment for uterine sarcoma and surgeon may remove the mass only.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is a form of treatment of cancer that uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells.

Side effects of radiation therapy include:

• Fatigue (feeling tired).
• Diarrhea.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Changes to your skin.
• Irritations in your bladder.
• Swelling in your legs.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is to kill or slow the growth of rapidly multiplying cancer cells.

Side effects of chemotherapy include:

• Nausea and vomiting.
• Hair loss.
• Loss of appetite.
• Low blood count.
• Fatigue.

Hormone therapy

Hormone therapy stops cancer growth by blocking the hormone's action.

How is uterine sarcoma prevented?

There is no possible way to prevent uterine sarcoma.