A year ago, Avery Spickler visited her doctor because she was experiencing some abnormal bleeding.
“My doctor really wasn’t super concerned with it,” Spickler, 24, recently recalled on TikTok. “About a week later, I just had this sinking feeling that something was wrong, so I went and saw another doctor, who sent me to get an ultrasound.”
The exam revealed a polyp, and the Illinois teacher was shocked to be diagnosed with Stage 1 uterine cancer. She’s not alone — cases of uterine cancer have been on the rise in the past decade, even as other cancers have become less common in the US.
“Overall, uterine cancer is one of the few cancers where both incidence and mortality have been increasing,” said Dr. Jason D. Wright, chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Columbia University and lead author of a new study about uterine cancer.
“Understanding future trends will help inform the development of robust strategies to reduce the burden and improve outcomes.”
The uterus is the pear-shaped organ where a baby grows in a woman. Endometrial cancer — which develops in the lining of the uterus — is the most common type of uterine cancer.
About 69,000 new cases of uterine cancer and nearly 14,000 deaths are expected this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Cases increased an average of 0.7% each year from 2013 to 2022, and age-adjusted death rates rose 1.6% annually over the same period, according to the new study, published this week in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Wright’s team projected a jump from 57.7 cases per 100,000 in 2018 to 74.2 cases in 2050 for white women. Deaths are estimated to increase from 6.1 to 11.2 per 100,000 in this group.
Black women are expected to see a spike from 56.8 cases to 86.9 cases per 100,000. Deaths are predicted to climb from 14.1 to 27.9 per 100,000.
“There are likely a number of factors that are associated with the increased burden of uterine cancer in black women,” Wright explained.
“They more commonly have aggressive types of uterine cancer, face delayed diagnosis resulting in later-stage disease at diagnosis, and there are often delays in their treatment.”
The average age of uterine cancer diagnosis is around 60, with most women being postmenopausal.
Risk factors include a family history of uterine cancer, hormonal imbalances and obesity.
A 2022 study identified a possible link between the use of chemical hair straightening products and an increased risk of uterine cancer. These products often contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals, potentially interfering with hormone levels.
The good news is that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound may spur obesity rates to decline.
At the same time, a hysterectomy is known to reduce the risk of uterine cancer. Rates of the procedure, which is the removal of the uterus and cervix, are estimated to drop about 26% from 2020 to 2035.
There is no standard screening test for uterine cancer in women without symptoms, which tend to be abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge or pain during urination or intercourse.
Diagnostic tests may include a pelvic exam, an ultrasound and an endometrial biopsy.
Screening is most effective starting at 55, Wright said.
Hysterectomy is the primary treatment. Other options include radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Spickler revealed on TikTok that she’s done hormone therapy this year, but her cancer persists.
“Lowkey deserve to be spoiled going through all this,” she joked this week.
