Uterine cancer is easy to beat if it's caught early, doctors say

Because the symptoms of uterine cancer are associated with other less dangerous conditions, a woman experiencing them might not be immediately alarmed.

Abnormal bleeding and pelvic pain can also be symptoms of common infections, fibroids or benign polyps.

But doctors urge women with these signs to seek immediate help because uterine cancer caught early is highly curable.

Though it's one of the most common cancers, it has one of the best survival rates. More than 42,000 new cases were diagnosed in the U.S. last year, and an estimated 7,780 patients died from it, according to the American Cancer Society.

The majority of cases develop in postmenopausal women. Nearly all patients receive a hysterectomy and their lymph nodes may be removed.

If there are fears the cancer has spread beyond the uterus, the patient may receive radiation or chemotherapy.

"It's a fairly common malignancy and the numbers have decreased significantly from previous decades," said Ira Horowitz, professor of gynecological oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta.

"Most people do very well and are cured. If you have to have a cancer, this is one of the cancers that you would want."