Uterine cancer is not rare. With an estimated 69,120 new cases expected in the United States in 2025 alone, it is one of the most common cancers in women. The lifetime risk of being diagnosed is about 1 in 40. By the formal medical definition, a disease qualifies as “rare” only if it affects fewer than 200,000 people in the country, and uterine cancer far exceeds that threshold.
How Common Is Uterine Cancer?
The current rate of new diagnoses is 28.3 per 100,000 women per year in the United States. To put that in perspective, if you gathered 100,000 women of varying ages, roughly 28 of them would be diagnosed with uterine cancer in a given year. That makes it the most common gynecologic cancer in high-income countries and the sixth most common cancer in women worldwide.
Among gynecologic cancers specifically, uterine cancer ranks above ovarian cancer in incidence. Globally, cervical cancer still accounts for the largest share of gynecologic cancer cases (about 45%), but in the U.S. and other high-income nations where cervical screening is widespread, uterine cancer has taken the top spot. Vulvar and vaginal cancers, by contrast, are genuinely rare.
Rates Are Rising, Especially in Younger Women
Uterine cancer is becoming more common, not less. The overall incidence among women under 50 rose from 10.1 per 100,000 in 2000–2009 to 12.0 per 100,000 in 2010–2019, a steady annual increase of about 1.7%. That trend is driven largely by the most common subtype, endometrioid carcinoma, which makes up about 80% of cases in this age group.
The increase is steepest among younger women. Those in their 20s and 30s saw annual rate increases of 3.0% and 3.3% respectively, compared to 1.3% for women in their 40s. The rise has also been more pronounced in Hispanic women (2.8% per year), Black women (2.7%), and Asian/Pacific Islander women (2.1%) than in white women (0.9%). Researchers link much of this trend to rising obesity rates, since excess body fat increases estrogen exposure, a key driver of endometrial cancer growth.
Some Subtypes Are Genuinely Rare
While uterine cancer as a whole is common, not every form of it is. The vast majority of cases, over 90%, are endometrial carcinomas, which start in the lining of the uterus. But uterine sarcomas, which develop in the muscle or connective tissue of the uterine wall, account for only 3% to 7% of all uterine cancers. These sarcomas are rare by any standard, and they tend to behave more aggressively than endometrial carcinomas, with a notably worse prognosis.
This distinction matters because the two types differ in how they present, how they respond to treatment, and how early they’re typically caught. When people describe uterine cancer as having a relatively good outlook, they’re usually referring to the more common endometrial type, particularly when it’s found before it has spread.
What the Numbers Mean for You
A 1-in-40 lifetime risk means uterine cancer is roughly as common as colon cancer in women. It is not a diagnosis that would surprise an oncologist, and it is not something most women need to worry about on a daily basis. But it is common enough that recognizing the primary warning sign, abnormal vaginal bleeding (especially after menopause), can make a significant difference in outcomes.
About 13,860 women are expected to die from uterine cancer in the U.S. in 2025. That number is far lower than the number diagnosed, because most cases are caught early. The disease tends to cause noticeable bleeding before it advances, which prompts many women to seek evaluation while the cancer is still confined to the uterus. When found at that stage, the outlook is substantially better than when it has spread to distant organs.
Your individual risk depends heavily on factors like body weight, age, hormone exposure, and family history. The rising incidence rates, particularly among younger women and women of color, suggest this is a cancer worth paying attention to even if you don’t fit the traditional profile of a postmenopausal patient.