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Causes of Uterine Cancer


A risk factor is basically anything that increases the susceptibility of an individual to a particular medical condition. Some of the risk factors for uterine cancer include:

  • Hormone Levels: Uterine cancer is greatly influenced by the hormone levels in a woman. Many women who are menopausal tend to undergo menopausal hormone therapy or estrogen therapy, as post menopause the ovaries in the woman will stop producing these hormones. However this estrogen therapy increases the chances of development of uterine cancer.
  • Number of Menstrual Cycles: Another one of the causes and risk factors of uterine cancer is if the woman has a higher number of menstrual cycles in her lifetime. This could be calculated if she has had her first period before the age of 12 or even if she has experienced menopause at a later stage.
  • Pregnancy: One of the factors which raise the risk of uterine cancer in women is pregnancy. It has been observed that women who have been pregnant in the past tend to have a lower risk of developing uterine cancer whereas on the other hand women who have not been pregnant are at a higher risk.
  • Being Overweight/ Obese: Cases of uterine cancer are also more prevalent in women who are obese as the fatty tissues tend to change some of the other existing hormones into estrogen which adds to the estrogen that is already being produced by the ovaries. Thus the higher estrogen levels act as a risk factor for uterine cancer.
  • Ovarian Tumors: Research has shown that there are certain types of tumors that are known to produce estrogen and hence raise the overall estrogen levels in the woman.
  • Age: Age is one of the most common risk factors for uterine cancer. Older women are at a higher risk of developing this medical condition.
  • Diabetes: Diabetes is a disease which is associated with an individual’s lifestyle and is common in women who are obese or overweight. Diabetes is known to be one of the risk factors for uterine cancer in both overweight women as well as those who are not overweight.
  • Exercise and Diet: Research has shown that women who exercise often and regularly are at a lower risk of developing uterine cancer as compared to those women who live a sedentary or an inactive lifestyle. Similarly there are also certain fatty foods that are known to affect the estrogen levels and thereby increase the risk of uterine cancer.
  • Genetic: Uterine cancer is also known to be found in women who have a family history of uterine cancer or colon cancer.

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References
  1. Jiri Neuzil, Lan-Feng Dong, Lalitha Ramanathapuram, Tobias Hahn, Miroslava Chladova, Xiu-Fang Wang, Renata Zobalova, Lubomir Prochazka, Mikhal Gold, Ruth Freeman, Jaroslav Turanek, Emmanuel T. Akporiaye, Jeffrey C. Dyason, Stephen J. Ralph, Vitamin E analogues as a novel group of mitocans: Anti-cancer agents that act by targeting mitochondria, Molecular Aspects of Medicine, Volume 28, Issues 5–6, October–December 2007, Pages 607-645, ISSN 0098-2997, 10.1016/j.mam.2007.02.003.
  2. Jacquelyn Quin, Deborah Engle, Abigail Litwiller, Elizabeth Peralta, Anthony Grasch, Theresa Boley, Stephen Hazelrigg, Vitamin E Succinate Decreases Lung Cancer Tumor Growth in Mice, Journal of Surgical Research, Volume 127, Issue 2, August 2005, Pages 139-143, ISSN 0022-4804, 10.1016/j.jss.2005.01.014.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022480405000399)