Detection/Diagnosis

If you experience abnormal uterine bleeding, a tissue sample from the lining of your uterus must be removed and examined to determine whether it is benign endometrial overgrowth (hyperplasia), endometrial carcinoma, uterine sarcoma, or some other disease. The tissue removal is done by endometrial biopsy or by dilation and curettage (D & C) with or without a hysteroscopy.

These procedures will find nearly all carcinosarcomas and many endometrial stromal sarcomas. Less than half of leiomyosarcomas will be found in this way, because these cancers begin in the uterine wall and often have not spread to the lining of the uterine cavity -- the area sampled by an endometrial biopsy or D & C.