Journalist Gwen Ifill died Monday, surrounded by family and friends after a monthslong battle with endometrial cancer.
The co-anchor of ”NewsHour” on PBS was 61 years old – just a year older than the average age most women are diagnosed with the disease. According to PBS, Ifill had been diagnosed with endometrial cancer less than a year ago. She had been covering the presidential election while getting treatment for the cancer.
Here’s a look at endometrial cancer, what it is, who gets it and the odds of surviving the disease.
What is endometrial cancer?
Endometrial cancer attacks the lining of the uterus – the endometrium.
What are the symptoms?
According to the National Cancer Society, abnormal vaginal bleeding is the most common symptom of uterine cancer. Bleeding may start as a watery, blood-streaked flow. Eventually, the flow contains more blood.
“Non-bloody vaginal discharge may also be a sign of endometrial cancer,” the ACS website says. “Even if you cannot see blood in the discharge, it does not mean there is no cancer. In about 10 percent of cases, the discharge associated with endometrial cancer is not bloody. Any abnormal discharge should be checked out by your doctor. Pain in the pelvis, feeling a mass (tumor), and losing weight without trying can also be symptoms of endometrial cancer. These symptoms are more common in later stages of the disease.”
How many people get it?
Nearly 60,000 women are diagnosed with endometrial cancer each year. Of that number, 10,470 women will die from the disease. In 2013, there were an estimated 635,437 women living with endometrial cancer in the United States. Rates for the disease have risen in the past 20 years. Some researchers believe that's due to the increasing obesity rate.
What are the risk factors?
According to cancer.org, “things that affect hormone levels, like taking estrogen after menopause, birth control pills, or tamoxifen; the number of menstrual cycles (over a lifetime), pregnancy, obesity, certain ovarian tumors, and polycystic ovarian syndrome’ all contribute to incidences of endometrial cancer.
Use of an intrauterine device
Age
Diet and exercise
Diabetes
Family history (having close relatives with endometrial or colorectal cancer)
Having been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer in the past
Having been diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia in the past
Treatment with radiation therapy to the pelvis to treat another cancer
How is it treated?
Nearly every woman diagnosed with endometrial cancer will have some form of surgery -- a hysterectomy or lymphadenectomy. If the cancer is caught early, removing the uterus will cure the cancer. If it has spread, other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can be used.
What are the chances of survival?
The five-year survival rate is a good one, approximately 80 percent. If you are older, the prognosis is more grave. Black women have a lower survival rate than white women, often because they are diagnosed later.
About the Author
