Uterine cancer is less common than cervical cancer with an incidence in the UK of 13 per 100,000 (3.5% of cancer in women). Established risk factors are nulliparity (no pregnancies), late menopause, obesity and prolonged exposure to oestrogens either as medical therapy or due to an oestrogen excess state. In this last situation, a period of endometrial hyperplasia (overgrowth – but at this stage non-malignant overdevelopment - of the lining of the womb) precedes the development of the cancer. The vast majority of women afflicted by this disease are past the menopause.
