Having 1 or more risk factors does not mean that a person will develop cancer. Many people have at least 1 risk factor but will never develop cancer, while others with cancer may have had no known risk factors.
Even if a person with cancer has a risk factor, it is usually hard to know how much that risk factor contributed to the development of their disease.
Risk factors for uterine sarcoma include:
- age – most women who are diagnosed with uterine sarcoma are over 50 years old
- obesity – extra fatty tissue produces extra estrogen, which can increase the risk of uterine sarcoma
- past treatment with radiotherapy to the pelvis
- treatment with tamoxifen for breast cancer, especially for a long time (5 years or more)
- family history of Lynch syndrome, also called hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), which is also linked to an increased risk of colon, kidney, bladder and ovarian cancer[1]
- a type of eye cancer called retinoblastoma that was caused by having an abnormal RB gene.[2]
References
Useful links
Last updated 19 March 2025
