What is uterus:-
Hollow pear-shaped organ located in a woman's lower abdomen between the bladder and the rectum is called uterus (womb).

How cancer is formed?
We can define cancer as a group of more than 100 different diseases. Our body organs are made up of many kinds of cells. These Cells divide in an organized way and produce cells only when required to keep us healthy. Cancer occurs when cells become abnormal and divide without control or order. Cancer occurs when cells divide even when new cells are not required, these unwanted new cells form too much tissue the mass of extra tissue is called a tumor, Tumor can be both benign or malignant.

What is Uterine cancer:-
Uterine cancer is the cancer of the uterus in the womb. Uterine cancer begins in the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium.

Uterine Cancer can be of different types. Endometrial cancer and uterine sarcomas are the two main types of Uterine Cancer.

Endometrial cancer: - Cancer of the female reproductive system which begins in the tissue lining of the uterus is endometrial cancer.

Uterine sarcomas: - When cancer grows in the muscles or other supporting tissues in the uterus it is termed to be uterine sarcomas.

Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer
Uterine Cancer usually occurs after menopause it does not usually occur before menopause. Abnormal bleeding after menopause is the most common symptom of cancer of the uterus. Bleeding may begin as a watery, blood-streaked discharge. This watery flow changes into more blood flow.

Don’t confuse abnormal bleeding to be always a sign of cancer but it is always better for a woman to get herself checked by her doctor, because that is the only way to find out what the problem is. Any illness should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
In addition to checking general signs of health temperature, pulse, blood pressure etc complete medical history is taken and a thorough examination is conducted when symptoms suggest uterine cancer.

Following exams are usually performed:-
Pelvic exam – In Pelvic exam doctors cautiously examine few organs like uterus, vagina, ovaries, bladder, and rectum. They check for any abnormality in shape and size of these organs. Doctor checks the size of the uterus to feel the lump. If uterus is found to be enlarged other than in pregnancy it is sign of endometrial or uterine cancer.
Biopsy – In Biopsy a small amount of uterine tissue is removed and examined under a microscope by a pathologist.
Dilation and curettage (D and C) - In a D and C, firstly the patient is given either local or general anesthesia the doctor then dilates (widens) the cervix and inserts a curette a small spoon-shaped instrument to remove samples of the endometrial tissue and the source of bleeding. Tissue samples are then sent to the pathology lab and examined under a microscope by a pathologist to check the cause of bleeding whether due to cancer or some other condition, such as endometrial hyperplasia.
Transvaginal ultrasound: - With the help of transvaginal ultrasound device images of the lining of the uterus and of irregular surfaces are produced to check if tumors are present.
Pap test – This is not a very reliable test .In Pap test, cells are obtained from the vagina and cervix. A Pap smear is used to detect cancer of the cervix. In rare cases, cancer cells from the endometrium (above the cervix) are also included in the Pap sample.

If cancer cells are detected with the help of these tests, few other tests are then conducted to check whether the cancer cells has spread from the uterus to other parts of the body or not.

Other tests may include
• blood tests
• chest x-ray.
• special x-rays for some patients are also required.
• pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan or
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan,
• a cystoscopy (examination of bladder),
• a colonoscopy or
• a sigmoidoscopy (examination of the bowel)