Vaginal cancer is a type of cancer that affects women. It is a rare type of cancer that begins in the vagina. In most cases, cancer of the vagina arises after cancer has spread from other parts of your body.
Medically reviewed by John Paul Abrina, MD · Oncology · Davao Doctors Hospital
Vaginal cancer is a type of cancer that affects women. It is a rare type of cancer that begins in the vagina. In most cases, cancer of the vagina arises after cancer has spread from other parts of your body.
Vaginal cancer is classified into different stages based on how far the disease has progressed.
This is a precancerous stage. During this stage, cancer cells are present in the vaginal lining but have not spread yet.
Stage 1
In this stage, the cancer cells have spread to the vaginal wall.
Stage 2
During this stage, the cancer cells have progressed to the surrounding tissue.
Stage 3
In this stage, the cancer cells have spread to the pelvic wall.
Stage 4
This stage of cancer is further divided into two substages – Stage 4A and Stage 4B. In stage 4A, the cancer cells have spread to the bladder or rectum. While in stage 4B, the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.
Women with vaginal cancer may not experience any signs and symptoms in the initial stages. However, the signs and symptoms may occur as the condition progresses.
Some of the signs and symptoms of vaginal cancer to watch out for include:
There is not much known about the cause of vaginal cancer. Usually, cells grow and then die at a specific time. However, when the cells do not die and grow excessively, this accumulation of abnormal cells causes tumor growth.
A person is more at the risk of developing vaginal cancer if:
If you have any symptoms of vaginal cancer or are at the risk of developing the condition, consult your doctor. They may ask you about the symptoms you experience, medical history, and family medical history.
Aside from this, your doctor may then perform a pelvic examination.
Your doctor may recommend a pap smear to check for the presence of abnormal cells in your vaginal area.
Your doctor may even recommend other screening tests taking into consideration your risk factors. They are:
Once vaginal cancer is diagnosed, your doctor may recommend other medical tests to determine the stage of cancer, such as:
The treatment of vaginal cancer depends on the stage of cancer.
The most effective treatments include:
There are two types of radiotherapy – external radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy. In external radiation therapy, the healthcare professional will use a machine to target and kill cancer cells from outside of your body.
In internal radiation therapy, the healthcare professional inserts or implants radioactive material in the affected area. Radiation therapy may also cause certain complications.
In both types of radiotherapy, there may be damage to the ovaries that may further stop the production of estrogen. This is more common after external radiotherapy.
In this procedure, the healthcare professional prescribes certain oral or injectable medications to prevent the growth and spread of the cancer cells to other parts of the body.
Chemotherapy may cause certain side effects like hair loss, loss of sexual desire, nausea, sudden loss of weight. The side effects usually recover after the treatment is completed. Your doctor may suggest certain measures to cope up with the side effects.
In this procedure, your doctor will attempt remove as much of the cancerous cells as possible. For vaginal cancer, the procedure can be performed in different ways such as laser surgery, vaginectomy, hysterectomy, pelvic exenteration, and lymphadenectomy.
Learn more about the different types of cancer, here.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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