Cancer Of Womb Rising - Tamoxifen One Possible Cause
Cancer of the womb (or uterine cancer) affects about 6000 women a year in the UK. That’s twice as many as develop cervical cancer. Its incidence amongst women aged 60-79 has risen by 30 per cent in less than a decade.
Ninety per cent of all cases occur in women over 50 years of age, and 75 per cent in women who have been through the menopause. Vaginal bleeding after menopause is a key symptom.
Early diagnosis is crucial, as advanced state yields only 25 per cent 5-year survival rates. Overall the figure is 77 per cent, considerably better but a mere 16 per cent improvement in just 30 years.
Cancer Research UK has stated that overweight and obese women are twice as likely to develop the womb cancer as women of a healthy weight. They suggested this is due to oestrogen.
Other factors apparently include not having had children, late menopause and the drug Tamoxifen. The implication of oestrogen in the risk factors suggests the pill and HRT might also play a part although CRUK did not mention this.