I have irregular periods. Will the biopsy confirm cancer?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am 44 and recently had an ultrasound for irregular periods, which showed thickened endometrium about 14 mm. The doctor advised an endometrial biopsy to rule out cancer or hyperplasia. I am a bit scared because I read that thick lining can sometimes mean early cancer. I am looking for your opinion on:

Does thickened endometrium always indicate something serious, or can it also happen due to a hormonal imbalance?
Also, is biopsy the only accurate test to confirm endometrial cancer, or are there other non-invasive options available now?

Please suggest.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

I wish you good health and wellness, and I would like to reassure you that we need to take an endometrial biopsy to understand why there is thickness and why there is regular bleeding, but it is not necessarily cancer; this could be a hormonal disturbance.

Also, it could be a benign increase in the lining of the uterus, which we call endometrial hyperplasia. It could be active cells, not all of them have to be cancer, and cancers themselves are different, not necessarily aggressive.

So I want to reassure you that there are many reasons for your condition. We just need to do the biopsy to reassure you, and after that, we will follow up to see if it is cancer. It is very easy and simple as long as we are in the early stages.

Treatment, depending on the biopsy, is very easy and simple, so do not worry, taking the biopsy is easy, simple, and not as aggressive as you think.

I hope this is clear to you, and please try to make the decision quickly and do the biopsy soon, so you can be reassured and you can ask us at any time. Do follow up with me after seven days.

For more queries, please feel free to reach out to me anytime.

Thank you.