The simple idea (no memorising)
Recall the lining's two hormones: estrogen builds, progesterone settles (Concept 7). When the lining is stimulated by estrogen for years without progesterone to balance it — "unopposed estrogen" — it can overgrow, then turn cancerous.
So the risk factors all mean "more lifetime estrogen, less progesterone":
- obesity (fat tissue makes extra estrogen),
- PCOS / chronic anovulation (no regular progesterone),
- early periods, late menopause, never pregnant,
- estrogen‑only HRT in a woman with a womb (the very danger Concept 22 prevents),
- tamoxifen, and a genetic condition called Lynch syndrome.
The symptom that saves lives
Any bleeding after menopause needs prompt evaluation — even a single episode. Because it warns early, this cancer is often caught early. Diagnosis is made by sampling the lining (a biopsy); ultrasound helps judge the lining's thickness.
A word on modern understanding
Beyond the old "type 1 (estrogen‑related) vs type 2" split, doctors now group these cancers by molecular fingerprints (with names like POLE, MMR‑deficient, p53) that predict how they'll behave — a POLE type tends to do well, a p53 type more aggressively. You don't need the detail; just know biology now guides treatment.
Treatment in a line
The backbone is surgery — removing the womb (and usually the tubes and ovaries) — with added radiotherapy, chemo or hormone therapy depending on stage and type.
Why it matters
This cancer ties the whole book together: the unopposed‑estrogen thread from Concept 14 leads straight here — and its early warning sign gives a real chance of cure.
Quick check ✅
- What single symptom must always make you think of endometrial cancer?
- Why do obesity and PCOS raise the risk?
Remember this 🌟
Where we're going next → The next cancer has a clear, preventable cause — a virus. Concept 38.