Deaths from womb cancer (cancer of the uterus) in the UK have gone up by nearly 20% in the last ten years. The trend follows a steep rise in the number of women diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, and is accompanied by improvements in survival rates, according to new figures from Cancer Research UK released on Thursday.

Since the late 1990s, deaths from womb cancer have gone up from 3.1 per 100,000 to 3.7 per 100,000 women in the UK.

The disease now claims around 1,900 lives in the UK every year, compared to fewer than 1,500 back then.

These figures follow a sharp rise in the incidence of womb cancer. In the mid 1990s, 13.7 per 100,000 women received a diagnosis of this disease, compared to 19.6 some ten years later, a rise of 43%.

Before this period, incidence of womb cancer in the UK had been constant, and deaths had been falling.

There is some good news in the new figures: survival rates continue to improve. 77% of women now survive the disease for at least five years.

However, despite the fact survival is higher than before, because of the growth in numbers of women developing the disease, more are dying from it than before.

Many experts believe obesity is a big factor in the increase in womb cancer rates: research suggests that obesity doubles the risk of developing the disease.

Professor Jonathan Ledermann is a gynaecological cancer expert with Cancer Research UK. He said in a statement:

“It’s hugely troubling that more women are dying from womb cancer, but we shouldn’t let this cloud the fact that the chances of surviving the disease are still better than ever.”

He says the reason the chances of surviving ovarian cancer have improved so much is because women’s cancer care has advanced and is much better organized.

For instance, more women are using one-stop clinics for help with post-menopausal bleeding, and treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy have much improved.

One patient who has benefited from these improvements is 56-year-old womb cancer survivor, Sharon Robinson from London. She told Cancer Research UK when she first had bleeding she thought it might be to do with menopause, but when it got more serious she went to the doctor and found out it was womb cancer.

“Being told I had cancer was terrifying, as I knew it meant having my womb removed followed by weeks of radiotherapy. But in the end it was all worth it because here I am today cancer free,” said Robinson, who urges women who have symptoms like bleeding after the menopause to seek medical help straight away, because “spotting cancer early save lives”.

However, the figures don’t tell the full story, and there are many questions, as Ledermann points out:

“It’s clear we’re making great progress, but we don’t yet fully understand what’s driving up cases of womb cancer, so there’s still lots more to do.”

Sara Hiom, director of information at Cancer Research UK, said:

“Maintaining a healthy bodyweight can halve a woman’s risk of womb cancer and is one of the best ways to protect against the disease.”

Symptoms of womb cancer include abdominal pain, pain during sex, and abnormal vaginal bleeding, particularly in women who are past the menopause.

Hiom said these symptoms are not necessarily a sign of cancer, for instance they could indicate a more common condition such as fibroids or endometriosis, but, it’s still important to have them checked out, because an early diagnosis increases the odds of survival.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD