Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in the U.S., and its risk is greatly borne by African-Americans.

That bothers Dr. Kemi Doll, a gynecologic oncologist with the University of Washington School of Medicine.

“The truth is, this is the most common gynecological cancer in the U.S.,” said Doll. “It’s four times more common than cervical cancer. It’s twice as common as ovarian cancer.”

If endometrial cancer is caught early, it is almost always curable, Doll said. The cancer affects the uterine lining and is typically accompanied by heavy menstrual bleeding. The median age for being diagnosed is 62, so a woman's risk is generally greater during or after menopause. But doctors are seeing the condition more in younger women, as well.

Another troubling reality with this disease is the strong racial disparity in survival of African-American women compared with Caucasian women. In the United States, black women have a 90 percent higher mortality rate than all other groups of women with this cancer, she said.

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