Endometrial carcinoma in young women.

Endometrial carcinoma in young women is uncommon. The majority of cases occur in women who have been taking oestrogen-containing oral contraceptives, in those with the Stein-Leventhal syndrome, or in those with gonadal dysgenesis treated by long-term oestrogen replacement therapy. We have observed 4 women under 40 years of age with adenocarcinoma of the uterus in whom chromosomal abnormalities associated with Turner's syndrome were confirmed only after the diagnosis of carcinoma had been made. None of these had received replacement oestrogen therapy. It is postulated that chromosomal abnormalities in young women with endometrial carcinoma are more common than previously thought. As the disease in this group appears to behave in a benign fashion, a conservative approach to therapy is advocated.