Words to know: Uterine (endometrial) cancer
- Uterus
- The womb. The hollow organ in the pelvis where a baby grows.
- Endometrium
- The inner lining of the uterus.
- Myometrium
- The muscle wall of the uterus. How deep cancer grows into it helps set the stage.
- Hysterectomy
- Surgery to remove the uterus and cervix.
- Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
- Surgery to remove both ovaries and both fallopian tubes.
- Sentinel lymph node
- The first lymph node that cancer would likely spread to. It is removed and checked during surgery.
- Grade
- How abnormal the cancer cells look. Low grade grows slowly. High grade grows faster.
- Endometrial biopsy
- Taking a small sample of the uterine lining to check for cancer.
- Mismatch repair (MMR)
- The cell's system for fixing DNA errors. Cancers that lack it are called MMR deficient.
- MSI-high
- Microsatellite instability high. A sign the tumor has a DNA repair problem, similar to MMR deficient.
- POLE
- A gene. Uterine cancers with POLE changes usually have a very good outlook.
- p53
- A gene that normally stops damaged cells from growing. Abnormal p53 is linked to faster-growing cancers.
- HER2
- A protein that can drive cancer growth. Some serous uterine cancers have high levels.
- Lynch syndrome
- An inherited condition that raises the risk of uterine, colon, ovarian, and other cancers.
- Vaginal brachytherapy
- Radiation placed inside the vagina for a short time to treat the area at the top of the vagina.
- External beam radiation
- Radiation aimed at the pelvis from a machine outside the body.
- Adjuvant therapy
- Treatment given after surgery to lower the chance the cancer comes back.
- Immunotherapy
- Medicine that helps your immune system find and attack cancer.
- Progestin
- A hormone medicine like progesterone. It can slow some hormone-driven uterine cancers.
- Uterine sarcoma
- A rare cancer that starts in the muscle or support tissue of the uterus.
- Leiomyosarcoma
- A sarcoma that starts in smooth muscle, such as the muscle wall of the uterus.
- Carcinosarcoma
- An aggressive uterine cancer with mixed features. It is treated like a high-risk endometrial cancer.
- Morcellation
- Cutting the uterus into small pieces to remove it. It is avoided when sarcoma is possible.
- Recurrence
- When cancer comes back after treatment.
Last updated: 2026-10-27. Medically reviewed by Veli Bakalov, MD, medical oncologist (October 2026). General education from Step by Step, the patient portal of HemeOncBuddy.