THE AETIOLOGY OF CARCINOMA OF THE BODY OF THE UTERUS *

CARCINOMA of the body of the uterus is an interesting disease in that it is frequently associated with a number of natural phenomena which, I believe, may give some clue to its aetiology. These phenomena at first sight appear diverse, but on further examination appear to be linked together quite closely. A review of the literature on this disease shows that many workers the world over have realized that carcinoma of the body of the uterus is frequently found in association with other pelvic lesions and with some lesions which are not pelvic and which do not properly come under the aegis of the gynaecologist. The menopause is said to occur later in women with carcinoma of the body of the uterus than in normal women; diabetes is common; uterine polypi and endometrial hyperplasia are frequently seen in uteri containing carcinoma; a high incidence of feminizing ovarian tumours has been reported ; fibroids are alleged to be common concomitants of endometrial cancer; patients are alleged to be obese and there is more than one suggestion in the literature that there is an inherited predisposition to the disease. It is my purpose in these lectures to show firstly that these statements are true and secondly to show the likelihood of a single factor being responsible for all these diverse conditions as well as for uterine carcinoma.