The Foundation for Women’s Cancer (FWC) established September as Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month (GCAM) with the intention of reaching an ever-increasing number of individuals. Gynecologic malignancies include cervical, ovarian, uterine/endometrial, vaginal, and vulvar cancer.
Share information about gynecologic cancer symptoms, risk factors, prevention, and early detection using these resources.
because one of these diseases will be diagnosed every five minutes, and more than 33,000 women will pass away from gynecologic cancer this year.
Downloading the GCAM toolbox will make it simpler for you to access and distribute the information in this section.
Additionally, as a special promotion this month, 10% of all ONEHOPE Wine purchases made during GCAM will be contributed to the Foundation for Women’s Cancer.
In This Article...
When is Women’s Cancer Awareness Month?
All malignancies of the female reproductive system, including those of the cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, vulva, and vagina, are referred to as gynecological cancers. These malignancies pose a threat to all females.
Over 29,000 women die from gynecological cancers each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Roughly 89,000 women are diagnosed with them. Different gynecological cancers have various warning signs, symptoms, and risk factors. Risk rises as people age.
The following are the main groups of gynecological cancers:
Cervical HPV (human papillomavirus) infection is virtually always the root cause of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer risk is higher in women who do not routinely undergo testing to identify HPV or abnormal cells in the cervix.
Ovarian epithelial cancer, which starts in the tissue covering the ovary, the lining of the fallopian tube, or the peritoneum; ovarian germ cell tumors, which start in the egg or germ cells; and ovarian low malignant potential tumors, which start in the tissue covering the ovary. There are three different types of ovarian cancer in adults.
The tissues of the uterus, the organ in which a fetus grows, are where uterine cancer begins. Endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma are the two kinds of uterine cancer.
The tissues of the endometrium, or uterine lining, are where endometrial cancer develops. Endometrial cancer risk factors include being obese, having high blood pressure, and having diabetes.
A uncommon form of cancer called uterine sarcoma develops in the tissues that support the uterus or in the uterine muscles. The risk of uterine sarcoma can rise when receiving radiation therapy and being exposed to X-rays.
Both forms of uterine cancer are at increased risk due to the use of the breast cancer medication tamoxifen.
Vaginal cancer can be classified into two primary categories: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Squamous cell cancer is less likely than adenocarcinoma to spread to the lymph nodes and lungs. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) prenatal exposure has been associated to a rare kind of cancer.
After menopause, women are more likely to develop adenocarcinomas that are unrelated to DES exposure.
Within a woman’s exterior genitalia, vulvar cancer develops. The outer vaginal lips are more frequently affected by vulvar cancer.
Long-lasting abnormal cell growth is possible on the vulvar skin’s surface. Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia is the medical term for this disorder (VIN). It’s critical to seek treatment because VIN can develop into vulvar cancer.
A history of genital warts, VIN, and HPV infection are all risk factors for vulvar cancer.
April is a cancer month, right?
Minority Cancer Awareness Month, which lasts the entire month of April, is intended to raise awareness about the increased risk of cancer among people of color.
How aggressive is endometrial cancer?
The organization of the cancer cells into glands that resemble the glands seen in a normal, healthy endometrium determines the endometrial cancer’s grade.
More cancer cells develop glands in tumors with lower grades (grades 1 and 2). More of the cancer cells are disordered and do not form glands in higher-grade (grade 3) tumors.
- At least 95% of the glands that produce cancerous tissue are present in grade 1 tumors.
- Between 50 and 94 percent of the glands that produce cancerous tissue are present in grade 2 tumors.
- Less than 50% of the glands that produce cancerous tissue are present in grade 3 tumors. Compared to lower-grade tumors, grade 3 tumours are more aggressive (they grow and spread quickly) and have a worse prognosis.
Type 1 endometrial tumors are endometrioid malignancies of grades 1 and 2. Cancers of type 1 are typically not extremely aggressive and do not readily spread to other tissues. It is believed that excessive estrogen is the cause of type 1 endometrial cancers. They can result from atypical hyperplasia, an aberrant proliferation of endometrial cells. (For more information, see Endometrial Cancer Risk Factors.)
Type 2 endometrial carcinoma is a rare form of the disease. Type 2 malignancies have a worse prognosis and are more prone to develop and spread outside of the uterus (than type 1 cancers). These malignancies are typically treated more aggressively by doctors. They don’t appear to be brought on by excessive estrogen. All endometrial carcinomas other than type 1 fall under the category of type 2 malignancies, including papillary serous carcinoma, clear-cell carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma, and grade 3 endometrioid carcinoma. These tumors are referred to as poorly differentiated or high-grade since they do not resemble normal endometrium at all.
Endometrial carcinoma and sarcoma characteristics are present in uterine carcinosarcoma (CS), which originates in the endometrium. (The sarcoma is a malignancy that begins in uterine muscle cells.) In the past, CS was thought to be a different type of uterine cancer termed uterine sarcoma (see below), but now, experts think CS is an endometrial carcinoma that has become so abnormally differentiated that it no longer resembles the cells it originated from.
A type 2 endometrial cancer is uterine CS. Malignant mixed mullerian tumors and malignant mixed mesodermal tumors are additional names for CS tumors (MMMTs). They account for about 3% of uterine cancers.
What type of cancer is September?
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, when supporters and advocates of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) focus on raising awareness about our efforts to combat blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and Hodgkin’s disease both locally and nationally.
Are uterine and endometrial cancers the same?
A condition known as uterine cancer occurs when cancerous cells develop in the uterus’ tissues (womb). Endometrial cancer, which is more prevalent, and uterine sarcoma, which is less common, are the two main kinds of uterine cancer. Cancerous cells develop in the endometrium, the uterus’ lining, in endometrial cancer.
Is cancer in stage 4 irreversible?
Cancer at stage 4 is not always fatal. It usually requires more intensive therapy because it is progressed.
Cancer that is terminal is one that cannot be cured and will eventually take a person’s life. Some people would refer to it as terminal cancer. When a doctor declares that a patient’s cancer is terminal, it typically signifies that the disease is so far along that there are no longer any effective ways to treat it. Cancers that are more advanced are more likely to be fatal.
The possibility of surviving for a specific amount of time, like five years, when a doctor diagnoses cancer is expressed by survival rates. When breast cancer has progressed to distant parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate is 28%, suggesting that 28% of patients make it through this time.
According to the American Cancer Society, the same percentage is 30% for men whose prostate cancer has progressed to remote locations.
Depending on the cancer type, survival rates can change. Mesothelioma that has migrated to distant locations has a 7 percent 5-year survival rate. This rate is 3% for distant pancreatic cancer.
However, it is important to keep in mind that these rates are based on a substantial amount of historical data. They might not represent current developments in medicine and healthcare. Additionally, a vast array of variables affect each person’s life expectancy.
The procedure of figuring out a cancer’s stage and severity is complicated. All the factors that govern how cancer develops and impacts the body are still unknown to medical professionals. Life expectancy forecasting is quite challenging. The sort of cancer, where it is located, and whether the patient has any other underlying medical disorders are just a few of the numerous factors the doctor will take into account.
November is when cancer awareness is observed.
Rare, slow-growing malignancies known as carcinoid tumors typically begin in the lining of the digestive tract and lungs, however they can also develop in the testes and ovaries. These tumors start in the cells of the neurological and hormonal systems and are a kind of neuroendocrine tumor growth.
Early-stage carcinoid cancer frequently shows no symptoms, and it is frequently unintentionally identified on an X-ray for a different reason.
Carcinoid tumors can cause symptoms like facial flushing, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash, and intestinal bleeding, which are not particular to this illness. Most cases of this kind of cancer are found in patients over the age of 60. Women are more prone to carcinoid cancer than males are. In the US, carcinoid tumors are identified in more than 12,000 persons annually.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) syndrome, neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) syndrome, and certain disorders that impair the production of stomach acid, such as atrophic gastritis, pernicious anemia, or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, are risk factors for carcinoid tumors.
