Endometrial cancer risk management

Every woman is at risk for endometrial cancer and the risk increases with age. A woman in the general population has about a 3 percent lifetime risk of developing endometrial cancer. This means that 1 out of every 33 women will get endometrial cancer in her lifetime.

Endometrial cancer screening and risk reduction

There are different options for managing endometrial cancer risk, including:

• screening
• medications to reduce risk
• surgery to reduce risk

Which option you choose for managing your endometrial cancer risk will depend on several factors, including:

• your age
• the presence of an inherited gene mutation
• your personal and family history of cancer
• other risk factors
• personal preferences

There are different national expert guidelines for endometrial cancer risk management, which are based on your level of risk. Speak with your healthcare provider to decide on a risk management plan and schedule that is right for you. 

Genes linked to endometrial cancer risk 

Inherited mutations in the following genes have been linked to an increased risk for endometrial cancer, (click on the gene to learn more about the endometrial cancer risk associated for each):

The most common inherited gene mutations associated with hereditary endometrial cancer are:

• Genes associated with Lynch syndrome 
  • EPCAM 
  • MLH1 
  • MSH2 
  • MSH6 
  • PMS2 
• PTEN (Cowden syndrome)
• STK11 (Peutz-Jegher syndrome)
• TP53 (Li-Fraumeni syndrome)

A rare type of endometrial cancer, uterine serous carcinoma, has also been linked to BRCA mutations. However, this remains under study.

Other factors linked to endometrial cancer risk

Factors such as diet, weight, exercise, hormone exposure, and certain medications like tamoxifen can affect endometrial cancer risk in the general population and in people at high risk for cancer. More research is needed to understand how much these factors influence risk in people with inherited mutations.