Anyone with a womb can develop womb cancer. It is most common in women who have gone through menopause.
Most womb cancers start in the lining of the womb (the endometrium). This is sometimes known as endometrial cancer.
About womb cancer
Womb cancer develops after a change in the DNA of the cells in the womb. (DNA is the genetic material that tells cells what to do.) As these faulty cells divide and multiply, they eventually cause a cancer.
Sometimes a cancer cell from the tumour in your womb can spread to other parts of your body such as your lungs, bones, liver or brain. This is known as secondary (or ‘metastatic’) womb cancer. It is also sometimes called advanced cancer.
You cannot develop womb cancer if you have had your womb removed (hysterectomy).
Having high levels of a hormone called oestrogen can increase your risk of womb cancer.
You may be at more risk of womb cancer if:
- You are overweight
- Have taken some forms of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Have never given birth
- Have polycystic ovary syndrome
- Went through menopause aged 55 and over
- You have diabetes
- Close relatives have had bowel, ovarian or womb cancer
- You have inherited a rare gene that causes Lynch syndrome
- You have taken medicines such as Tamoxifen (used to treat breast cancer)
- You have had radiotherapy on your pelvis
The main symptoms of womb cancer include:
- Bleeding or spotting from the vagina after the menopause
- Heavy periods from your vagina that is unusual for you
- Vaginal bleeding between your periods
- A change to your vaginal discharge
Other symptoms can include:
- Lump or swelling in your tummy or between your hip bones (pelvis)
- Pain in your lower back or between your hip bones (pelvis)
- Pain during sex
- Blood in your pee (urine)
It is important to see a health professional if you have symptoms or changes in your body that are unusual for you and last more than a couple of weeks.
Treatment depends on a range of factors including the size, stage and location of your tumour. It may also depend on your age, general health and genetic factors (linked to the DNA changes in your cells) that tell us how your cancer developed.
Treatment options can include one or more of the following:
- Surgery – this may be before, during or after other treatments
- Drug therapies such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The general term for these is systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT)
- Radiotherapy
When you are diagnosed, your care will be discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT) where different specialists will consider the best treatment options for you. Your doctor will discuss this with you so you can decide what is right for you.
Genomics and cancer
Genomics is the study of a person’s genes (or ‘genome’) – the material in DNA that makes each person unique. Cancer is caused by changes in the DNA of a cell and tell it to multiply out of control.
Understanding where this change has occurred – for example, which gene is faulty – can help us know which treatment will give you the best chance of killing the cancer cells and stopping new ones from growing.
Gene testing for womb cancer can be used to detect Lynch Syndrome and if this is recommended for you, your clinical team will explain this to you in more detail at your appointment.
Our treatments
At The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, we provide specialist non-surgical treatment for womb cancer. We also work closely with surgical teams in other hospitals to plan and co-ordinate your care every step of the way.
Systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT)
SACT is a term used to describe the different drug therapies for cancer. These include:
- Chemotherapy – which aims to kill cancer cells
- Immunotherapy – which aims to train your immune system to attack cancer
- Targeted therapies – which aim to target the DNA and cell changes that cause cancer such as hormone therapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a drug that is used to kill cancer cells or stops them from dividing and multiplying. It can be used alone, with surgery and/or radiotherapy, with hormonal therapy, or other anti-cancer drugs such as targeted or biological therapies.
You may have chemotherapy for womb cancer:
- After surgery to help stop the cancer coming back
- Alongside, before or after radiotherapy
- To help slow the cancer down and ease symptoms if it has spread to other parts of your body
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy medicines help your immune system to find and kill cancer cells. There are different types of immunotherapy. These include monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines or tumour infecting viruses. Immunotherapy is now a standard treatment for some types of cancer, and is currently involved in Clinical Trials for many other types of cancer. If this treatment is recommended for you, your clinical team will explain this to you in more detail at your appointment.
Targeted therapies
Targeted therapies, sometimes called hormone therapies, are medicines that only target things that help cancer cells to grow or survive. There are different types of targeted therapies. They may be an option for advanced womb cancer that has come back. You may have hormone therapy (targeted therapy) to ease symptoms or shrink and control the cancer if it’s spread outside your womb to other parts in your body.
This treatment may be suitable if you’re not well enough to have surgery or radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy involves using high-energy radiation to destroy cancerous cells. Radiotherapy may be given for various reasons, depending on how big the cancer is and whether it has spread.
There are several ways it can be used to treat womb cancer:
- Often it is given after surgery to remove the womb
- Sometimes it is given instead of surgery.
- Sometimes it is used to relieve symptoms such as pain.
We use different types of radiotherapy, depending on the size, location and stage of the cancer.
The radiotherapy treatments we offer for womb cancer include:
- External beam radiotherapy – where radiation is delivered from outside the body
- Brachytherapy – also known as ‘internal radiotherapy’ because the radiation is placed inside the body in close contact with the tumour
Clinical trials
Research and trials of new cancer treatments are an important part of our work. Your consultant will tell you about any clinical trials that may be suitable for you.
You are also very welcome to ask us about clinical trials during your appointments. We will be happy to answer any questions you have.
Find out more about clinical trials.
Treatment locations
We have a multi-site model where we visit hospitals across Cheshire and Merseyside to provide treatment and consultations closer to patients’ homes.
We provide systemic anti-cancer therapies (e.g. chemotherapy and immunotherapy) for womb cancer at the following sites:
- Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool
- Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Wirral
- Halton – CanTreat Unit
- St Helens – Lilac Centre
- Outreach services to the Isle of Man
We provide radiotherapy for womb cancer in two of our specialist sites:
Clinical trials for womb cancer are delivered at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool.
The team consists of clinical oncologists, medical oncologists, clinical nurse specialists, radiographers, pharmacy, research practitioners, administrative support and a cancer support worker.
Our operational management team makes sure the service runs smoothly.
Medical Oncologists
- Dr Rosie Lord
- Dr Danielle Shaw
- Dr Laura Cossar
Clinical Oncologists
- Dr Karen Whitmarsh
- Dr Anthea Cree
- Dr Elizabeth Mullen
Associate Specialist Doctor
- Dr Mona Chopra
Speciality Doctor
- Dr Muhammad Heiba
Clinical Nurse Specialists
- Caron Robb
- Jenny Gleave
Cancer Support Workers
- Rachel Burns
Brachytherapy Clinical Specialist
- Sarah Stead
Patient information
Chemotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
Immunotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
Radiotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
Brachytherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
Radiotherapy for cancer of the uterus and cervix
High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy to the vaginal vault
Our Cancer Information and Support Centres can provide individualised help and support for patients and families affected by cancer. The team’s main base is in Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool but they also work at our Aintree and Wirral hospitals.
There are also local Macmillan services in other hospitals across our region.
External sites that offer extra support and information about womb cancer include: