Vaginal Cancer

Cancer of the vagina is considered a rare kind of cancer in women. (Read about "Cancer: What It Is") The vagina is the passageway that connects the vulva (the folds of skin around the opening to the vagina) and the cervix (the opening of the womb or uterus).

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), there are two types of cancer of the vagina: squamous cell cancer (squamous carcinoma) and adenocarcinoma. NCI says squamous carcinoma is usually found in women between the ages of 60 and 80. Adenocarcinoma is more often found in women between the ages of 12 and 30.

Young women whose mothers took DES (diethylstilbestrol) are considered at risk, according to NCI. This drug was used to prevent miscarriages during the middle of the 20th century

Diagnosing and staging

Warning signs of vaginal cancer include:

• Bleeding or discharge not related to menstrual periods
• Difficult or painful urination
• Pain during intercourse or in the pelvic area

A woman who is experiencing unusual pain or bleeding should see her doctor. NCI points out that even women who have undergone hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) can still develop this type of cancer. (Read about "Hysterectomy")

A doctor may use several tests to see if there is cancer. During an internal or pelvic examination, the doctor will feel for lumps and will then do a Pap smear. This test is also used to detect cervical cancer. (Read about "Cervical Cancer")

If cells that are not normal are found, the doctor will need to biopsy or remove a small sample of tissue from the vagina and look at it under a microscope. (Read about "Biopsy") Other tests may also be used to make sure that, if cancer is present, it has not spread to other parts of the body. This is called staging. A doctor needs to know the stage of the disease to plan treatment.

The following stages are used for cancer of the vagina, according to NCI:

• Stage 0 or carcinoma in situ

  Stage 0 cancer of the vagina is a very early cancer. The cancer is found inside the vagina only and is in only a few layers of cells.

• Stage I

  In stage I, cancer is found in the vagina, but has not spread outside of it.

• Stage II

  In stage II, cancer has spread to the tissues just outside the vagina, but has not gone to the bones of the pelvis.

• Stage III

  In stage III, cancer has spread to the bones of the pelvis. Cancer cells may also have spread to other organs and the lymph nodes in the pelvis. Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body. They produce and store cells that fight infection. (Read about "The Lymph System")

• Stage IVA

  In stage IVA, cancer has spread into the bladder or rectum. (Read about "The Urinary System")

• Stage IVB

  In stage IVB, cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs.

• Recurrent

  Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the vagina or in another place.

Treatment Options

Treatment options include: (Read about "Cancer Treatments")

• Surgery. NCI says this is the most common treatment of all stages of cancer of the vagina. Depending on the stage, surgical options include laser surgery, which uses a narrow beam of light to kill cancer cells; wide local excision, which removes the cancer and surrounding tissue; and vaginectomy or removal of the vagina. In this last procedure, other organs as well as lymph nodes may be removed also. (Read about "The Lymph System")
• Radiation therapy, which uses x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation) or from putting materials that produce radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation). Radiation may be used alone or after surgery.
• Chemotherapy, which uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in a vein. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drugs enter the bloodstream, travel through the body and can kill cancer cells outside the vagina. In treating vaginal cancer, chemotherapy may also be put directly into the vagina itself, which is called intravaginal chemotherapy.

The chance of recovery and choice of treatment depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the vagina or has spread to other places) and the patient's general state of health.

More Cancer Information:

    Cervical Cancer

    Ovarian Cancer

    Uterine Cancer

    Cancer Check-ups

    Cancer Support

    Cancer Treatments

    Reduce Cancer Risks

    Cancer Glossary

For a list of individual types of cancer, see Cancer: What It Is

Related Information:

    Learn About Your Procedure

    At the Hospital: For Patients