Uterine (Endometrial) Cancer: Six-Year Post-Hysterectomy Exam

This is a follow-up to my December 13, 2019 post commemorating the six-year anniversary of my total robotic hysterectomy for endometrial adenocarcinoma—”the most common uterine malignancy in developed nations,” according to an article in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Because my tumor was type 1 (the endometrioid type), stage 1B (it had penetrated about 60% through the uterine lining, or endometrium), and grade 3 (the cells were almost entirely abnormal and misshapen), I also underwent vaginal radiation, or brachytherapy, following the surgery.

At my annual checkup with my regular gynecologist today, we discussed several things, including the fact that women need more information about uterine cancer because, as with ovarian cancer, no screening tests detect it, and a woman may or may not have any symptoms.

My only symptom was postmenopausal vaginal bleeding, and at the time I had no idea this indicated possible cancer. (See the one-minute video about…