Womb cancer is on the rise, experts warn the signs you need to know – The Sun

IT's one of the most common types of cancer affecting women in the UK - with more than 9,300 new cases every year.

And experts have warned cases of womb cancer are on the rise.

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The Eve Appeal told The Sun that the number of womb cancers diagnosed in the UK has surged by 19 per cent in the last decade.

They said the rise comes as the obesity epidemic has spiralled - adding being too fat is one of the main risk factors for the disease.

It comes as a new study from the Mayo Clinic in the US found that the bacteria in a woman's womb might play a role in womb cancer, also known as endometrial cancer.

Researchers said the disease is the most common gynae cancer in the US, and the fourth most common cancer in women.

They added: "Endometrial cancer is on the rise in the western world, suggesting that alterations in environmental factors such as diet, lifestyle and the vaginal microbiome may be important drivers in its cause."

Dr Marina Walther-Antonio, who led the study, said their findings could pave the way for a new screening test for womb cancer.

She said: "If the microbiome does play a role in endometrial cancer, beyond being a marker for it, this could have important implications for endometrial cancer prevention."

But, currently, in the absence of a screening test, one of the best ways to spot the disease is the be wise to the signs and symptoms.

The Eve Appeal is urging people to learn the key symptoms to ensure it's caught in the earliest stages, when you have a better chance of surviving.

The most common symptom of womb cancer isabnormal bleeding from the vagina.

The bleeding may start as a light bleed with a watery discharge, which may get heavier over time, according to NHS Choices.

As most women who are diagnosed have been through the menopause, any vaginal bleeding will be unusual.

In women who haven't been through the menopause, periods may be heavier than usual or women may experiencebleeding between periods.

The symptoms include:

If you are worried about any of these symptoms, you should visit your GP.

Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of women's charity The Eve Appeal, said: "Abnormal bleeding is a common symptom of womb cancer, yet is often misdiagnosed or thought to be 'nothing serious' and we need to stress that in most cases, this is the case.

Women can work out their waist to hip ratio by dividing their waist circumference by their hip measurement.

Take a tape measure and wrap it around your waist to get your waist measurement, then do they same for your hips and compare.

For example, if your waist is 32 inches and your average hip measurement is 40 inches, then your hip to waist ratio is 0.8 - worked out by dividing 32 by 40.

A ratio above 0.85 for women or 0.90 for men is a sign of obesity and therefore at greater risk of cancer.

So, if you were to put on a bit of weight and your ratio becomes 0.9, you are 21 per cent more likely to develop cancer of the womb.

"But it's important to see a doctor and get checked out, as it could be something much more serious, like cancer.

"As the fourth most common cancer in women, womb cancer has alarmingly low awareness.

"This is particularly distressing as the symptoms go unrecognised by women and this is a often a very treatable cancer if its caught early."

The exact cause of womb cancer is not known, but certain things can increase a woman's chance of getting it.

The NHS says these factors can increase a woman's chance of developing womb cancer:

New research recently suggested women who have a higher waist to hip ratio are a fifth more likely to get womb cancer.

Researchers found that for every 0.1 unit increase in the ratio, the risk ofdeveloping womb cancer increasedby 21 per cent, they wrote in the British Medical Journal.

Women can work out their waist to hip ratio by dividing their waist circumference by their hip measurement.

Earlier this year, Danniella Westbrook revealed she had been given the "all clear" from doctors after being treated for womb cancer.

The star revealed last September that she was battling the disease, saying she wasterrified she would dielike her good friend Jade Goody, who passed away from cervical cancer in 2009.

Daniella's family have a history of womb cancer, with her mum being diagnosed when the actress was just 15 years old.

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Womb cancer is on the rise, experts warn the signs you need to know - The Sun