CHAPTER XIX.
CANCER AND SARCOMA OF THE UTERUS.
CANCER OF THE BODY OF THE UTERUS.
Cancer of the body of the uterus is a rare disease in comparison with cancer of the cervix. The older statistics—those of Schroeder—appear to show that the disease begins in the body of the uterus in about 2 per cent. of all cases of cancer of this organ. This percentage, however, is probably too small. Cancer of the body of the uterus is by no means an infrequent disease; it is a disease for which the physician should always be on the watch.
Fig. 125.—Diffuse cancer of the endometrium.]
Cancer of the body of the uterus originates in the epithelial structures of the endometrium. It may first appear on the surface of the endometrium or deeply in the utricular glands.
The gross appearance of the disease varies as does cancer of the cervix or of any other part of the body.
Cancer of the uterus may begin upon the surface of the endometrium as a superficial ulceration, as a uniform swelling of the mucous membrane, as a polypoid or papillary projection, or as a large cauliflower-like mass projecting into the uterine cavity.
When the disease begins in the utricular glands, it may form nodules throughout the body of the uterus. These nodules are of various sizes, from that of a pea to that of a hen’s egg. They grow rapidly. They may be submucous and project into the uterine cavity, or they may project beneath the peritoneal covering, giving the uterus an irregular nodular appearance ([Fig. 126]).