Closing The Care Gap - Navigating Endometrial Cancer
By: - Team VOH
22 Feb 2024
4th Edition National Cancer Conclave - Uniting for closing the care gap supported by AstraZeneca. Navigating Endometrial Cancer: Patient Insights and Treatment Advancements.
11th February, 2024, In the month of ‘National Cancer Prevention’, Voice Of Healthcare hosted the 4th Edition National Cancer Conclave - Uniting for Closing the Care Gap Supported by AstraZeneca.
With themes of insights and awareness, early diagnosis, different treatments for types and stages of cancer, and most importantly the patient's experience and the journey towards recovery from Endometrial Cancers.
National Cancer Conclave 2024 stresses Maximum Awareness, Timely Diagnosis, and Better Treatment Options Available, with the objective of access to the masses of India.
The topics that went under the discussion were…
● Empowering awareness, understanding, and preventing Endometrial Cancer
● Timely Diagnosis, Treatment Pathways for types of cancers
● Journey of bladder cancer patients to recovery
The Guest Speaker for the session was Dr. Manasi Shah- Consultant Oncologist, SGVP Holistic Hospital Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The session started with Dr. Shah explaining Endometrial Cancer of the Uterus when there is an abnormal growth of cells in the inner lining of the uterus and the most common type of cancer. The other uterus cancer is where there is abnormal growth of cells from the uterus muscle, it is called Uterine Sarcoma. Endometrial cancer accounts for 4% of all female cancers and in 2020 there were 16,000 cases of Endometrial cancer in India, the numbers are increasing as westernization is increasing as we embrace more sedentary lifestyles where there are more chances of being overweight or obese are the factors which are causing the rise in numbers of Endometrial Cancer.
Dr. Shah also focused on the fact that Endometrial cancer can be picked up early if the female is vigilant about the symptoms and at three or four if the symptoms are ignored. Going more in-depth about uterine cancer is normally a disease of elderly stage women. So, the majority of the women who are diagnosed with Endometrial cancer after the age of fifty, when they have entered menopause and the most common sign & symptom is abnormal vaginal bleeding, even spotting should not be taken lightly and get yourself checked by the doctor.
Even during the premenopausal, if a female notice there is abnormal bleeding, or a change of pattern in the menstrual cycle, like heavy bleeding, frequent bleeding, or more days of bleeding then go to the gynecologist to get evaluated. Not every abnormal vaginal bleeding will be Endometrial cancer but this could be a sign of early-stage cancer. Additionally, advanced-stage cancer is where has spread to surrounding organs, then symptoms can be pelvic pain, back pain, abdominal bleeding, abnormal bleeding, and more in severe cases it could be a lot of coughing, shortness of breath, and depending upon the organ cancer has spread.
The discussion went further to that, 80% of Endometrial Cancers are driven by an imbalance of the estrogen hormone, which affects the uterus lining and all the irregularities in the menstrual cycle happen.
The diagnostic and treatment journey of a patient starts with, the patient coming for evaluation by the gynaecologist and then the doctor will take out the growth of abnormal cells and send it to the pathologist who will get to know whether it is just normal hormonal imbalance or some evidence of cancer in it. If suspected cancer, then the next step is a biopsy, which confirms whether it is cancer or not.
The first stage of cancer is limited to the lining or maybe gone a little bit more inside the muscle, for the second stage cancer has spread a little bit below the cervix but is still connected to the organ, stage three is when it has gone outside to ovary, vagina and lymph nodes up in the abdomen, CT scans and MRIs help us to decide whether it is an early-stage or advanced-stage cancer. Once the doctors have a clear picture of the stage of cancer then the treatment pathway is decided.
Surgery is one part of the treatment for advanced-stage Endometrial Cancer, where the uterus, ovaries, and some parts of the vagina are also removed according to the areas where the cancer is spread, and that’s why these steps of the test are required and for early stages of Endometrial cancer radiation therapy, chemotherapy works according to the stages and spread. The doctor also emphasized that it takes a lot of counselling and multiple consultations before starting the treatment with the patient and the family.
Talking about Advanced treatment to reduce the progression of Endometrial cancer in advanced stages includes robotic surgery, which reduces the complications and recovery days as well. For stages one, two, and three targeted radiotherapy is used where there is no spillover of radiation to the other nearby organs.
Dr. Manasi Shah also sheds light on Biomarker testing to understand the nature of the tumour and is done routinely for fourth-stage or advanced-stage cancer patients. As there are specific treatments for them that are biomarker-driven.
She also shared some of the risk factors of Endometrial cancer are an imbalance of estrogen levels, PCOD, 5% risk of a family history of cancer.
The preventive measures to avoid the risk of Endometrial Cancer are to maintain a healthy body weight, avoid processed food, and avoid the chances of getting diabetes as it is one of the risk factors of hormonal imbalance and probably going back to the lifestyle that our grandparents have is the best lifestyle.
To summarize the session
● Uterine cancer is of two types and Endometrial cancer is the most common of two subtypes.
● The most important symptom of Endometrial cancer is abnormal bleeding Premenopausal and Postmenopausal, heavy bleeding, and the passing of clots.
● Biomarker tests play an important role in deciding the treatment pathways according to the nature of the tumor, as the treatments are Biomarkers specific.
● Leading a healthy lifestyle, and regular exercise help in the prevention of Endometrial Cancer.
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