Postmenopausal Bleeding can Be a Sign of Endometrial Cancer
Highlights:
- Postmenopausal bleeding can be a sign of endometrial cancer in obese women
- Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for endometrial cancer
- Screening can help women with postmenopausal bleeding start an early treatment
Obesity increases the risk of endometrial cancer. A new study, suggests that having a lower body mass index (BMI) can also be a sign that women with postmenopausal bleeding are at an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer.
Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
‘Women with postmenopausal bleeding need undergo evaluation. Screening helps start an early treatment for endometrial cancer.’
Endometrial cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer in women worldwide and is a leading cause of cancer death. Because there is currently no routine screening for endometrial cancer in asymptomatic women, it is important for healthcare professionals to be aware of added risk factors so that they can effectively intervene.
In this study, researchers using the Asian BMI standard for obesity (BMI ? 25 kg/m2) sought to determine the relationship between BMI and a subsequent diagnosis of endometrial cancer in Asian women.
The threshold for being defined as obese in Asian women is lower than that used for classifying white women. Because roughly 90% of postmenopausal women with endometrial cancer have postmenopausal bleeding, the study specifically looked at women who had experienced postmenopausal bleeding. On the basis of the results of the study, the researchers concluded that Asian women with a BMI of more than 25 kg/m2 were 1.57 times (57%) more likely to develop endometrial cancer.
Such results should alert healthcare professionals to be especially vigilant when treating Asian women with postmenopausal bleeding who are obese.
Results are published in the article "Obesity increases endometrial cancer risk in Chinese women with postmenopausal bleeding."
"This study highlights the known relationship between BMI and endometrial cancer and suggests that the Asian BMI standard for obesity (25 kg/m2) helps to identify endometrial cancer in Asian women with postmenopausal bleeding.
Key takeaways are that all women with postmenopausal bleeding should undergo evaluation, and obesity remains an important and modifiable risk factor for endometrial cancer, with a linear relationship between BMI and endometrial cancer risk," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.
Source: Eurekalert
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Hannah Joy. (2021, June 30). Postmenopausal Bleeding can Be a Sign of Endometrial Cancer. Medindia. Retrieved on Jan 02, 2025 from https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/postmenopausal-bleeding-can-be-a-sign-of-endometrial-cancer-202008-1.htm.
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Hannah Joy. "Postmenopausal Bleeding can Be a Sign of Endometrial Cancer". Medindia. Jan 02, 2025. <https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/postmenopausal-bleeding-can-be-a-sign-of-endometrial-cancer-202008-1.htm>.
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Hannah Joy. "Postmenopausal Bleeding can Be a Sign of Endometrial Cancer". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/postmenopausal-bleeding-can-be-a-sign-of-endometrial-cancer-202008-1.htm. (accessed Jan 02, 2025).
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Hannah Joy. 2021. Postmenopausal Bleeding can Be a Sign of Endometrial Cancer. Medindia, viewed Jan 02, 2025, https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/postmenopausal-bleeding-can-be-a-sign-of-endometrial-cancer-202008-1.htm.