September is Gynecologic Cancers Awareness Month

join with the aacr to find better ways to prevent and treat gynecologic cancers

Gynecologic cancers are cancers of the female reproductive system, including the cervix, ovaries, uterus, vagina, and vulva. Anyone with female reproductive organs is at risk for these cancers.

According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 108,000 women in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with a gynecological cancer in 2024. Furthermore, about 32,000 will die from one. Each gynecological cancer has different signs and symptoms, as well as different risk factors. As with most cancer, the risk of developing a gynecologic cancer increases with age. 

The major categories of gynecologic cancers 

Cervical Cancer

According to the World Health Organization, infection of the cervix with human papillomavirus (HPV) is almost always the cause of cervical cancer. Consequently, vaccination against HPV and regular screening for HPV infection are highly effective ways to prevent cervical cancer.

Ovarian Cancer

There are three types of ovarian cancer in adults. These include ovarian epithelial cancer, which begins in the tissue covering the ovary, in the lining of the fallopian tube, or in the peritoneum; ovarian germ cell tumors, which start in the egg cells; and ovarian low malignant potential tumors, which begin in the tissue covering the ovary. These tumors rarely become cancerous. 

Uterine Cancer

Uterine cancer forms in the tissues of the uterus, the organ in which a fetus develops. The two types of uterine cancer are endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma. 

Endometrial cancer forms in the tissues of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. Obesity, diabetes, and certain genetic conditions may increase the risk of endometrial cancer. Uterine sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that forms in the uterine muscles or in tissues that support the uterus. Exposure to radiation therapy near the pelvis can increase the risk of uterine sarcoma. 

Treatment with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen is a risk factor for both types of uterine cancer.

Vaginal Cancer

There are two main types of vaginal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma, which forms from cells that line the inside of the vagina, and adenocarcinoma, which forms in the glands that secrete mucus. Squamous cell carcinoma is more common and typically spreads slowly, but adenocarcinoma is more likely to spread to the lungs and lymph nodes.

Risk factors for vaginal cancer include infection with HPV and having had a hysterectomy for benign or cancerous tumors. A rare type of adenocarcinoma is linked to being exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) before birth. Adenocarcinomas that aren’t linked with being exposed to DES are most common in women after menopause.

Vulvar Cancer

Vulvar cancer forms in a woman’s external genitalia, most often the outer vaginal lips.

A precancerous condition called vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) occurs when abnormal cells grow in the skin of the vulva. VIN can be a precursor to vulvar cancer, but proper treatment may help prevent VIN from worsening.

Risk factors for vulvar cancer include having VIN, HPV infection, and/or having a history of genital warts.

ONE WOMAN’S STORY

Jaclyn “Jackie” VanRaaphorst is seeing good results from a newly approved treatment for ovarian cancer. “It is extremely important to continue the research and development on new therapies for all different types of cancer,” she says. Read her story in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023: Jaclyn (Jackie) VanRaaphorst: Combating Stage III Ovarian Cancer, Thanks to Research

What the AACR is Doing in Gynecologic cancer research

Scientific Conferences

  • In November 2023, the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Endometrial Cancer: Transforming Care Through Science, addressed prevention and screening, targeted therapies, and metabolic and immunologic approaches, among other topics.
  • In October 2023, the AACR presented its sixth biennial AACR Special Conference: Ovarian Cancer, in Boston. This meeting addressed important needs in ovarian cancer research, including epidemiology and prevention, immunology, tumor microenvironment, drug discovery, epigenetics and epitranscriptomics, and rare ovarian tumors, among other topics.
  • The AACR’s blog, Cancer Research Catalyst, carried an interview with scientists co-chairing these special conferences: AACR Special Conferences Gather Investigators Advancing Research on Gynecologic Cancers.

Supporting Research

The AACR has recently awarded research grants to investigators pursuing promising research related to gynecologic cancers. In endometrial cancer, specifically, the following grants were made:

  • Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers, in Partnership with Pelotonia and the AACR, awarded a Rising Innovator Research Grant in 2023 to Kemi M. Doll, MD, MCSR, University of Washington, for her study of “Dissemination Tool of Biopsy- First Early Detection of Endometrial Carcinoma: GUIDES BY US.”
  • Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers, in Partnership with Pelotonia and the AACR, also gave a Rising Innovator Research Grant on 2023 to Joyce Liu, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The grant supports her study of “Targeting Wee1 and ATR in high-grade/p53-mutated endometrial cancer.”

For a listing of grants in ovarian cancer research, please see our page on ovarian cancer awareness.