The remaining three types of endometrial carcinoma have a poor prognosis . Approximately 15 percent of women have adenosquamous carcinoma, in which both the gland cells and squamous cells are malignant . Three percent have a clear cell carcinoma, and about 1 percent have a papillary carcinoma.
Uterine sarcoma is another kind of uterine malignancy. ( See "Uterus: Uterine Sarcomas". )
How It Spreads From where it arises in the lining of the uterus , endometrial carcinoma eventually invades the wall of the uterus and may involve the cervix . With time, it can grow through the wall of the uterus into the surrounding tissues (the parametrium), the bladder and the rectum ( see Cancers of female pelvic organs ).
It can also spread by the lymphatic system to the vagina, fallopian tubes, ovaries, the pelvic and aortic lymph nodes and to the lymph nodes in the groin and above the collarbone (supraclavicular). Like ovarian carcinoma, endometrial cancer can also spread throughout the abdominal cavity and occasionally through the bloodstream to the lung, liver and brain. How rapidly it spreads depends on the grade (histologic virulence) of the cancer.
Endometrial cancer is often associated with a primary carcinoma of the ovary. ( See Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors." )
