Scientists have shined a light on a little-known cancer that's rising in young women - amid promising trials of a new treatment that slashes the risk of death by a third.
Womb cancer, also known as endometrial cancer, has doubled in UK women under 50 over the last 25 years.
The disease is now the fourth most common cancer in women in the UK, with more than 10,200 diagnosed each year.
It is one of the deadliest gynaecological cancers, with just 15 per cent of women surviving their cancer for five years when diagnosed at a late stage.
Experts believe that our modern lifestyles could be partly to blame for the increase in cases - with obesity, poor diets and even the decision to have children later all thought to contribute to the disease.
Now, experts have called on women to look out for the warning signs amid rising cases.
'Womb cancer is the only gynaecological cancer with increasing incidence and mortality,' said Dr Bhavana Pothuri, oncologist and researcher at New York University, speaking at the European Society For Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference in Madrid.
Experts have warned of rising cases of womb cancer in young Britons - and signs to spot
'We need greater awareness of the condition and its warning signs. Young women need to know that abnormal bleeding is not just a concern for post-menopausal women.'
Other common symptoms include bleeding that is unusually heavy between periods, abnormal vaginal discharge that may appear pink or brown in colour, and bleeding after the menopause.
'If there is any bleeding between periods or if the periods are prolonged or heavier, this needs to be taken seriously and investigated,' Dr Sangeeta Khinder added, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at London Gynaecology.
Whilst heavy bleeding is a common symptom of many other conditions, such as endometriosis and fibroids, Dr Khinder says it is crucial to get any new symptoms checked—even if your smear test comes back clear.
The risk of womb cancer also increases with age. But other factors like obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can also increase the risk, Dr Khinder says.
The warnings come amid fresh hope for those with advanced disease, thanks to a new infusion that can dramatically slow down its progression.
A recent trial - presented at ESMO - involved 776 women with endometrial cancer, whose disease had progressed after chemotherapy or surgery.
Half received standard chemotherapy, while the remaining patients were given a new drug - called sacituzumab tirumotecan.
The treatment acts like a guided missile that delivers chemotherapy directly to cancer cells.
Researchers found that women given the new drug had a 41 per cent lower risk of their cancer progressing and a 32 per cent lower risk of death compared with those receiving standard chemotherapy.
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More than a third (35 per cent) of patients treated with the drug also saw their tumours shrink, compared to just 17 per cent of those on standard chemotherapy.
'Our study offers much needed hope to women worldwide living with endometrial cancer, which is increasing in both incidence and mortality,' said Dr Michelle Lightfoot, a gynecologic oncologist and study co-author.
Meanwhile Dr Pothuri added: 'We are seeing women diagnosed younger and that's why it's so important that we have treatments like these that can help slow down the progression of the disease.
'A lot of this is related to the obesity epidemic.'
Carrying too much weight triggers chronic inflammation and hormonal imbalances that cause cells to divide more rapidly, increasing the risk of a mutation.
Some hormonal contraceptives can also drive up oestrogen levels, as can not having children - something experts have suggested could be contributing to the worrying rise in cases in under 50s.
Pregnancy interrupts a woman's menstrual cycle, lowering exposure to the hormone oestrogen, which can trigger womb cancer.
Risk decreases with each birth, with three or more children reducing the risk by up to half.
Black women are also twice as likely to die from the disease.
While it is not possible to completely protect against it, doctors say there are things women can do to reduce their chance of developing womb cancer.
These include maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and limiting exposure to hormones.