RADIATION THERAPY FOR GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS
Understanding Your Treatment Options

Facts about Gynecologic Cancer

Gynecologic cancers include cancer of the uterus, ovaries, cervix, vagina, vulva and Fallopian tubes.

• According to the American Cancer Society, more than 82,000 women per year are diagnosed with some form of gynecologic or GYN cancer.
• The most common gynecologic cancer is uterine cancer with more than 40,000 cases diagnosed each year.
• Every year, nearly 30,000 women die from a type of gynecologic cancer.
• Pap test screening has allowed doctors to find pre-cancerous changes in the cervix and vagina, helping to prevent the development of some invasive cancers.

Risk Factors for Gynecologic Cancer

While all women are at risk for gynecologic cancer, the following factors can increase a woman's chances of developing the disease.

• Uterine cancer: Never pregnant, beginning menstruation early, late menopause, diabetes, use of estrogen alone (called unopposed estrogen) for hormone replacement therapy, family history of uterine cancer, high blood pressure and complex atypical hyperplasia. Tamoxifen, a drug often used to treat breast cancer, slightly increases the risk of uterine cancer. A genetic syndrome called hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) may also increase a woman's risk.
• Cervical cancer: Strongly associated with sexually transmitted diseases, especially several strains of human papilloma virus (HPV), sexual activity at an early age, multiple sexual partners, smoking and obesity.
• Ovarian cancer: Obesity, never pregnant, unopposed estrogen, personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer, genetic mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, HNPCC.
• Vaginal cancer: History of genital warts or an abnormal Pap test. Women whose mothers took the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) while pregnant have an increased risk of clear cell carcinoma. Women previously treated for carcinoma in-situ or invasive cervical cancer also have a higher risk of developing vaginal cancer.

Signs and Symptoms of Gynecologic Cancer

There are often no outward signs of gynecologic cancers. However, some common symptoms include:

• Unusual bleeding, such as postmenopausal bleeding, bleeding after intercourse or bleeding between periods.
• Persistent vaginal discharge.
• A sore in the genital area that doesn't heal or chronic itching of the vulva.
• Pelvic pain or pressure.

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