What is the differences between endometriosis and endometrial cancer?

Answer 1

To answer this question we first have to delve into the arcane world for latin (and medicine). Feel free to skip the next two bullet points, and get to the answer (I don't mind). * -osis. Noun. meaning, a growth. * -carcinoma. Noun. Meaning, a "bad" growth. The endometrium is periodically found in the female reproductive tract, and forms the nuturing, nutirient and blood-rich layer upon which a baby may attach (via the placenta). This layer is normally shed within a 28-day cycle (Menses) if fertilization and implantation of the ova (egg) have not occured. Endometriosis refers to the benign (yet maybe still painful and problematic) condition of "growth" of the endometrial cells. Normally these guys are supposed to live only in the uterus, and should only survive for about 4 weeks. Occasionally, a cell or two gets outside of the uterus, and will, "set up shop" wherever it lands. This could be on the ovary, the fallopian tube, the uterus, or anywhere else in the abdominal cavity. Since they're deprived of the normal signals the rest of the endometrium (living quietly within the uterus) receives, they may continue to grow. Generally, when this happens, however, they grow neatly, and orderly. Endometrial Carcinoma, in contrast, occurs when these cells loose the instruciton to die, or are otherwise genetically dammaged. They still can exist anywhere, but are more likely to wreak havoc on those cells surrounding them. A general search for "cancer" on this site will likely find an article I wrote awhile back about cancer...it's a disease of the DNA.