Uterine Cancer Introduction & Pictures

The uterus is a female reproductive system organ located in the pelvic cavity between the bladder and rectum. It is formed from three main parts: (1) cervix, the lower segment of the uterus near the vagina, (2) corpus, the main and wider part of the uterus, and (3) fundus, the top part of the uterus where the two fallopian tubes start.

1. Endometrium, is the inner layer that undergoes substantial changes every month. When one of the ovaries is getting closer to releasing an egg and the uterus starts to prepare for a possible pregnancy, the endometrium become thicker. Endometrium is the tissue that receives the egg and allows it to couple with the man's sperm. If the fertilization process take place, the endometrium will continue to become thicker to nurture the embryo and later to form the embryo's placenta. If not, this thick lining is eliminated as a blood flow through the vagina, a phenomenon known as menstruation.

2. Myometrium, is a muscle tissue that becomes functional when the baby has to be propelled out from the uterus at the end of the 9 month pregnancy term.

3. Serosa, is a thin membrane that partially cover the uterus.

The uterus has a rich supply of blood vessels and lymph glands. Because the uterus' blood vessels communicate with the ovary, cervix and vagina blood vessels, and the lymph vessels carry the lymph throughout the body, this can increase the risk for infections and tumors to spread and develop faster.

Uterine cancer occurs when the normal life cycle of the cells is impaired. New cells form as a division of existing cells, a process controlled by the two female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Each cell has a series of receptors in their membrane that detect and respond accordingly to the type of hormone that is secreted, following a normal cell evolution. Cancer can occur in one single cell and WILL multiply from that single cell through the normal division process. The multiplication of this cancer cell will cause the formation of a tumor.

A tumor can have two forms: (1) a benign tumor called uterine fibroid, that does not spread and will remain located in the original area, and (2) a malignant or cancerous tumor, that grows and spreads to other regions of the body.

Conditions & Diseases: Cancer

Uterine Cancer

Introduction & Pictures