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What Are the Treatment Options for Endometrial Cancer?
Treatment will depend on the stage at which endometrial cancer is diagnosed. It’s important to work with your healthcare team to develop the appropriate treatment plan for you.
What Are the Surgical Treatment Options for Endometrial Cancer?
Surgery is the most common treatment for endometrial cancer, when possible, and may include:
- Total hysterectomy (removing the uterus, including the cervix)
- Radical hysterectomy (removing the uterus, tissues next to the uterus, and part of the vagina)
- Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removing both ovaries and fallopian tubes)
- Lymph node dissection (removing the lymph nodes and checking a sample of tissue for signs of cancer)
Surgery can be used to:
- Determine the stage of endometrial cancer
- Debulk, or remove as much of the tumor as possible
When Is Radiation Used to Treat Endometrial Cancer?
Radiation is typically given after surgery to kill cancer cells that may be left behind. Sometimes, radiation is given before surgery to help shrink a tumor so it’s easier to remove. Radiation can also be given as the primary treatment if surgery is too risky.
Radiation can either be delivered from within the vagina (brachytherapy) or from outside the body (external beam radiation).
What Are the Systemic Treatments for Endometrial Cancer?
Systemic treatments are those that affect, or work throughout, the entire body.
- Chemotherapy
Your healthcare professional may also consider chemotherapy. This is a treatment for endometrial cancer that uses medication to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by destroying them or keeping them from dividing. - Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy involves removing or blocking hormones that can cause the cancer to grow. - Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy for endometrial cancer uses medication to identify and attack specific cancer cells. Healthcare professionals can use molecular biomarker testing to determine if you could benefit from a targeted therapy. - Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a type of targeted therapy that may help a person’s own immune system better recognize and kill cancer cells. The immune system normally keeps itself from attacking the body’s healthy cells. It does so by using “checkpoint” proteins on immune cells, which act like switches that need to be turned on to start an immune response. Cancer cells turn these checkpoint proteins off to avoid getting attacked by the immune system. Immunotherapies can be used to treat some endometrial cancers by switching the immune response back on. Learn more about an immunotherapy treatment option for certain types of advanced or returned (recurrent) endometrial cancer.
If you or a loved one are facing endometrial cancer, talk to a healthcare professional about treatment options.
What Are the Most Common Treatments for Each Stage?
The stage of endometrial cancer—how much cancer there is and where it’s located—plays a large role in deciding treatment. Other things matter too, like the specific type of cancer, your age and overall health, and whether having children in the future is important to you. Your healthcare team will walk you through your specific treatment options.
Stage I
- Patients typically undergo surgery to remove the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes
- Younger women may only have their uterus removed, not the ovaries, which prevents early menopause but may increase the risk of the cancer coming back
- For women with higher grade tumors or more aggressive types of cancer (serous carcinoma, clear cell carcinoma or carcinosarcoma), radiation or chemotherapy may be recommended after surgery
- Women who cannot safely undergo surgery may be treated with radiation only
- For women of childbearing age, surgery may be delayed with hormone therapy to preserve fertility
Stage II
- Patients typically undergo surgery to remove the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes
- If the cancer has spread to the cervix, surgery might involve a radical hysterectomy
- Radiation, often both vaginal brachytherapy and external pelvic radiation, may be given either before or after surgery
- For women with higher grade tumors or more aggressive types of cancer, more aggressive surgery and chemotherapy may also be recommended
- Women who cannot safely undergo surgery may be treated with radiation only
Stage III
- Patients typically undergo surgery to remove the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes
- A radical hysterectomy may also be warranted
- Chemotherapy, radiation or both may be given after surgery
Stage IV
- In many cases, the cancer has spread too far for it all to be removed with surgery, though hysterectomy and radiation may still be recommended to prevent excessive bleeding
- Hormone therapy may be used if the cancer is estrogen-sensitive
- Chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy may be recommended
Understanding Clinical Trials in Endometrial Cancer: What You Should Know
Researchers are always looking for ways to improve upon and develop new treatments for cancer. To do this, they conduct clinical trials, which evaluate potential risks or side effects of treatments and how well they may work. Clinical trials often provide an opportunity to get early access to new therapies and can be considered an integral part of your treatment plan, not just a "last resort.” Learn more about clinical trials.
Learn Common Gynecologic Terms
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