Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer | Lymphovascular invasion | Did you know ?

What is endometrial cancer?

Cancer or uncontrolled growth of the inner lining of the uterus is called endometrial cancer.

What are the different layers of the uterus?

As most of us already know, the baby grows for 9 months inside the woman's uterus. When the lady is not pregnant, it is about the size of a medium-sized pear.

The uterus is composed of three main layers.

1. The innermost layer of the uterus is called the endometrium. It is this layer that gets thickened and sheds off during menses. Cancer usually arises from this layer of the uterus.

2. The second middle layer is called the myometrium. This thick layer of muscle is expected to push the child out during birth. Sometimes cancer that developed in the endometrium extends into the myometrium. When that happens, the stage of the cancer changes, which in turn changes the way treatment is done.

3. The outermost layer of the uterus is called the serosa. This rigid layer acts as a barrier between the uterus and neighboring organs. However, sometimes, cancer can penetrate this tough layer of the uterus. If cancer crosses this layer of the uterus, it carries a poor outcome. Nevertheless, even this stage of cancer is very well treatable.

What are the various types of endometrial cancer?

The most common type of uterine cancer is endometrioid adenocarcinoma. This type of cancer has the best outcome after treatment.

Other types of uterine cancers include: serous clear cell carcinosarcoma uterine sarcoma leiomyosarcoma

What is the difference between the stage and grade of endometrial cancer?

The stage of cancer depends on the spread of cancer. When cancer is confined to the organ where it started, it is called early-stage cancer. But, if cancer spreads to other organs, it is called late-stage or fourth-stage cancer.

Unlike stage, the grade of cancer indicates the aggressiveness of the tumor.

There are three grades of tumor :

Grade 1 or well-differentiated
Grade 2 or moderately differentiated
Grade 3 or poorly differentiated

As the name suggests, well-differentiated cancer has the best outcome. However, that does not mean that poorly differentiated cancer has a poor result. The reason why it is not so is explained below.

What factors decide the outcome of endometrial cancer?

It is not just the stage that decides the outcome of cancer. Different parameters affect cancer outcomes, such as stage, grade, various factors on the biopsy report, and specific gene mutations. For example, a stage 1 cancer that is grade 3 (poorly differentiated) has a better outcome than a stage 1 cancer with a p53 gene mutation. This is why you can't compare the treatment and results of two cancer patients, even if they were diagnosed with the same type and stage of cancer.

What is 'lymphovascular invasion' or 'LVI'?

Often, your cancer doctor will talk about lymphovascular invasion or LVI by looking at your biopsy report. If LVI is present, that means cancer can spread or cause recurrence in the future. Sometimes, when LVI is present, radiation treatment is added to the treatment protocol to prevent cancer recurrence. Hence, a thorough biopsy report made by an onco-pathologist at a dedicated cancer center is essential for a cancer doctor to make treatment decisions.

What is the treatment of early-stage endometrial cancer?


Surgery is the primary treatment of endometrial cancer. After surgery, a detailed biopsy report is issued from the pathology department. This might take a few days. Depending upon the factors written on the biopsy report, the cancer doctor decides on further treatment. If everything on the biopsy report is favorable, then the patient will be kept under regular follow-up. If there are any unfavorable factors, the patient might require further radiation therapy. The radiation therapy could be short course internal radiation (brachytherapy) or external radiation.

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  Uterine Cancer