DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My age is 61. I went through menopause 10 years ago. In the previous three months, I have started having some vaginal spotting with blood. I felt fine, no pain, nothing. I mentioned this to my husband, and he said he was going to forcefully take me to the doctor if I didn’t go on my own. I did go, and am glad I did. The doctor suspected uterine cancer, and his suspicion was confirmed by a biopsy. I am scheduled for surgery.

So much attention is paid to breast cancer. I can’t find much information on uterine cancer. Will you provide a rundown on it? — M.A.

ANSWER: Uterine cancer also goes by the name endometrial cancer. The endometrium is the lining of the uterus and the place where most uterine cancers arise. Around 46,000 new cases are discovered yearly in the United States, and it’s responsible for roughly 8,000 deaths a year.

Endometrial cancer is a cancer mostly of postmenopausal women. Just as in your case, vaginal bleeding is its chief sign. The bleeding might be very slight, spotting only, or it can be heavy. Only 25 percent of cases of this cancer occur in younger women. The signs of uterine cancer in these younger women are an increased frequency of periods and irregular periods.

Ultrasound pictures of the uterus are helpful in detecting this cancer. Biopsy provides the definitive answer. When discovered early, before the cancer has infiltrated the uterine muscle or spread to surrounding tissues, the prognosis is excellent.

I anticipate that you’ll have uneventful surgery and a cure.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: When I was 40, I stopped smoking. I am 65 now.

I thought that by now, 25 years of no smoking, my risk for a heart attack or lung cancer would have vanished.

According to a friend, who thinks he is an MD, that’s not the case. He says you never repair the damage done by smoking, and you always have an increased chance of developing cancer or a heart attack. Is that the case? — W.W.

ANSWER: That’s not the case.

The benefits from not smoking begin the day after a person stops. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, a gas that displaces oxygen from red blood cells. Smokers, therefore, are in a constant state of reduced oxygen supply. That lack ends the day after stopping cigarettes.

Most studies estimate that 15 years of not smoking provide former smokers with the same risk of having a heart attack as those who never smoked.

The cancer threat might never disappear entirely. However, after 15 years of abstinence, the risk of lung cancer drops from a high of 20 times that of a nonsmoker to around four times that of a nonsmoker. Some feel that the risk eventually will disappear completely.

Estimates vary from results of different studies. Everyone agrees, however, that the dangers of smoking eventually go up in smoke if a person stops.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am writing to see if the medicine you get in the U.S. is the same as in Canada. My husband and I take Nexium. Our insurance company won’t cover its costs, even though our doctor explained that we have tried other drugs in the Nexium family, but they don’t work for us. Do Canada’s Nexium and the United States’ Nexium have the same ingredients? — R.

ANSWER: The same manufacturer supplies both Nexiums. In Canada, Nexium is marketed as a tablet; in the U.S., as a pill. The active ingredient is the same. Nexium is a member of the group of medicines called proton pump inhibitors. These medicines stop the production of stomach acid.

The booklet on GERD, also called heartburn, explains this common disorder. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 501, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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