Car crash led to discovery of stage‑4 endometrial cancer after symptoms were dismissed as menopause

Colleen, a U.S. singer and former USO volunteer, said she experienced heavy vaginal bleeding, fatigue and shortness of breath for months but was told by a doctor in the United States that the symptoms were likely perimenopause. The condition, which precedes menopause, can cause irregular periods, fatigue and other symptoms; Colleen sought care again only after a car crash in Germany in 2021 led hospital staff to find an abnormal abdominal mass on X‑ray.

An obstetrician‑gynecologist who examined her performed an ultrasound and took a tissue sample that laboratory testing later confirmed was cancerous. Initially the tumor was thought to be in an early stage, and clinicians scheduled a hysterectomy. Over the following months the disease progressed, and by 2022 doctors diagnosed her with stage‑4 endometrial cancer after it had spread to bone and to at least one lung.

Clinicians began a monthlong external radiation regimen in mid‑2022 followed by three sessions of internal radiation. After the discovery that the cancer had metastasized to the lung, Colleen underwent bronchoscopy procedures and repeated intubations that she said caused severe swelling and visible damage to her vocal cords. In fall 2022 she began five months of chemotherapy, and by March 2023 physicians reported no evidence of disease.

In December 2023 Colleen fractured her femur. Doctors determined the break was caused by cancerous bone metastasis that had weakened the bone. She described the diagnosis as a major emotional turning point and said clinicians characterized subsequent treatments as palliative because the goals shifted toward slowing progression and improving quality of life once the disease involved bone.

Colleen completed another round of chemotherapy in July 2025. A biopsy sample taken from the lesion in her leg was sent for genetic testing to identify possible targeted therapies based on the tumor's molecular markers. She told The Patient Story that because she lives in a rural area, she worries there will be limited access to clinical trials and other experimental options.

Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women in the United States, with about 69,000 diagnoses and roughly 14,000 deaths annually. When confined to the uterus, five‑year survival rates are near 90 percent, but survival drops substantially once the disease reaches stage 4; published estimates place five‑year survival for stage‑4 disease at about 18 percent. Incidence has edged upward in recent years, from 26.9 cases per 100,000 women to 28.8 per 100,000 in 2022, the latest year with trend data available.

Colleen said the word "cancer" became part of her identity alongside her roles as a singer and a wife. She described fears when clinicians first mentioned palliative care, but said she later came to understand the term as describing treatments intended to preserve comfort and function when metastasis limits curative options. She also recounted the physical toll of repeated procedures, including operations on her leg and bronchoscopies, which she said caused vocal‑cord swelling that has affected her singing.

Physicians and cancer specialists note that abnormal or heavy uterine bleeding and new, persistent pelvic symptoms warrant evaluation, particularly when symptoms are atypical for a patient's age or do not respond to initial treatment. Early detection of endometrial cancer, typically through imaging and endometrial sampling, is associated with higher cure rates. For patients with metastatic disease, oncologists often combine systemic therapies such as chemotherapy, targeted agents where molecular testing supports use, radiation for local control and palliative measures to maintain mobility and quality of life.

Colleen said she tries to maintain independence despite mobility limits and continues to reflect on the role of personal beliefs and supports in coping with a chronic cancer diagnosis. She emphasized the importance of seeking medical evaluation when bleeding patterns change and urged others with unexplained symptoms to seek second opinions when needed.