Vaginal Cancer: Everything You Need to Know.
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When malignant cells form in your vagina, you get vaginal cancer.
The vaginal canal, also known as the birth canal, runs from the opening of a woman’s uterus to the exterior of her body. Many types of cancer can move to the vaginal area from other locations, although cancer that begins here is uncommon. Each year, approximately 6,000 new cases are reported in the United States.
Vaginal cancer is a rare malignancy that begins in the vaginal canal. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it is the cause of about 2% of female genital cancers.
The following are the most common kinds of vaginal cancer:
Squamous cell carcinoma This cancer begins in the vaginal lining and progresses slowly. According to the American Cancer Society, it accounts for around 9 out of 10 incidences of vaginal cancer (ACS).
Adenocarcinoma This type of cancer begins in the cells of the vaginal gland. It is the second most frequent type of vaginal cancer, and it affects mostly women over the age of 50.
Melanoma This kind of skin cancer, like the more prevalent melanoma, begins in the cells that give skin pigment.
Sarcoma -This begins in the vaginal walls and is responsible for a tiny percentage of vaginal malignancies.
Treatment for vaginal cancer in its early stages has a good success rate.
You’ll notice that the language used to talk about statistics and other data points is very simple, with the terms “female” and “woman” being used together.
Although we try to avoid using terminology like this, it’s important to be clear when discussing study participants and clinical outcomes.
In this article, there were no studies or surveys that looked at transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, agender, agender, or genderless people, so they didn’t have any information about them.
Early-stage vaginal cancer that affects mainly the vaginal lining may not cause any symptoms.
It may be identified during a normal pelvic check in some instances.
What do the signs and symptoms of vaginal cancer look like?
Cancer that has spread to other tissues, on the other hand, usually causes symptoms.
Abnormal vaginal bleeding is the most prevalent.
This includes any bleeding that occurs after:
Menopause, sex-related bleeding, bleeding in between menstruations
It’s also possible that the bleeding will be more intense or last longer than normal.
People with advanced cancer have a lot of problems with their bladder and genital area. These include watery, smelly, or blood-stained vaginal discharge; painful, frequent urination; pelvic pain, especially during sex; and a lump or mass in the vagina, as well as constant itchiness in the vagina, constipation, and blood in stool or urine.
Many of these symptoms could be caused by something other than cancer, so see a doctor or other healthcare professional (HCP) to rule out these possibilities.
Who is at risk for vaginal cancer and what causes it?
In most cases, according to the ACS, the actual etiology is unknown. However, the following factors have been related to vaginal cancer:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a cancer-causing virus in humans. According to the National Health Service, this sexually transmitted virus is the leading cause of vaginal cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, HPV is generally harmless for most people. Long-term infection with high-risk strains of the virus, on the other hand, can result in cancer.
Cervical cancer in the past Cervical cancer is frequently caused by HPV.
Diethylstilbestrol exposure during pregnancy (DES) Pregnant women used to be given this drug to prevent miscarriage. In the 1970s, however, doctors ceased prescribing it. DES-related vaginal cancer is currently extremely rare.
Vaginal cancer can also be caused by a number of different conditions, such as:
According to the American Cancer Society, having had a previous hysterectomy, whether for a benign or malignant mass; smoking, which, according to the American Cancer Society, more than doubles the risk of vaginal cancer; HPV isn’t common in people younger than 40, and it’s more common in women who are 70 or older. People with a weak immune system, like HIV or lupus, can also get it. Early exposure to HPV through sex can also cause it.
You don’t have to have any of these risk factors to get vaginal cancer. In the same way, not having any of them doesn’t mean you won’t get vaginal cancer.
How can you know if you have vaginal cancer?
To begin with, a doctor or other healthcare professional will review your medical history to learn more about your symptoms and potential risk factors. They’ll then perform a pelvic exam to rule out any other potential causes of your symptoms, as well as a Pap smear to screen for abnormal cells in your vaginal area.
Your doctor will perform a colposcopy if the Pap smear reveals any suspicious cells. A colposcope is a magnifying tool that is used to look at your vaginal walls and cervix to see where abnormal cells are.
You’ll be in stirrups and your doctor will use a speculum, much like a regular pelvic exam. Once your doctor knows where the abnormal cells are, he or she will do a biopsy to see if the cells are malignant.
If the cells are cancerous, a doctor or other healthcare professional will most likely perform an MRI, CT scan, or PET scan to determine whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Staging
Stages of vaginal cancer
There are four primary phases of vaginal cancer, plus one precancerous stage:
Intraepithelial neoplasia of the vaginal mucosa (VAIN) The condition VAIN is a type of precancerous condition. The vaginal lining has aberrant cells, but they aren’t developing or spreading yet.
VAIN isn’t the same as cancer.
Stage 1: Only the vaginal wall is affected by cancer.
This is the second stage of cancer. It has spread to the tissue around the vaginal opening, but not yet to the walls of the pelvis.
Stage 3: Cancer has progressed to the pelvis and the pelvic wall. It’s also possible that it spreads to adjacent lymph nodes.
Stage 4 is split into two sections:
- Cancer has progressed to the bladder, rectum, or both in stage 4A.
- In stage 4B, cancer has spread to other organs such as the lungs, liver, or lymph nodes that are further away.
What is the treatment for vaginal cancer?
If your cancer is in the top part of your vaginal canal and is stage 1, you may need surgery to remove the tumor and a small patch of good tissue around it. After that, radiation is frequently used.
In all stages of vaginal cancer, radiotherapy is the most commonly used treatment. Chemotherapy may be used in conjunction with radiotherapy in some circumstances. On the other hand, chemotherapy for vaginal cancer has minimal evidence of effectiveness.
A doctor or other HCP will likely propose surgery if you’ve already had radiation in the vaginal area. This is because each component of the body can only withstand a specific quantity of radiation.
They may remove the following, depending on the size, location, and margins of your tumor. They may also do this:
part or all of the vaginal canal, as well as the majority of your reproductive or pelvic organs
Although stage 4b cancer is not curable, medication can help alleviate symptoms. If this is the case, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be recommended by a doctor or other HCP. It may also be possible to help test new medicines by taking part in a clinical trial.
Are there any risks of problems following treatment?
Some side effects are temporary, but others might last a lifetime. This is due to the fact that organs near the vaginal canal, such as the bladder and rectum, can be harmed during therapy.
Radiotherapy
During and after treatment, Cancer Research UK says that you may have the following symptoms. This is because radiotherapy can damage both diseased and healthy cells.
Pain while peeing *tiredness *nausea or vomiting *diarrhea *vaginal discharge *soreness in the area being treated
Radiotherapy can also have an impact on your sexual life since it can induce scar tissue, narrowing the vaginal canal and making intercourse painful.
Intercourse can be more uncomfortable because of dryness in the vaginal area.
Your medical staff should be able to assist you with this, possibly by prescribing dilators and lubricants.
In addition, your bladder’s elasticity may deteriorate. You could feel compelled to urinate more frequently.
External pelvic radiation can also result in early menopause, which means you won’t be able to conceive. Adoption and surrogacy are options for people in early menopause who want to start a family.
Surgery
All types of surgery carry the risk of infection and blood clots, as well as postoperative pain.
Smaller operations, on the other hand, have fewer hazards than larger ones.
Sex can have an impact.
The lining of your vagina won’t be able to create mucus if you get a vaginal reconstruction. To avoid dryness and irritation, you’ll probably need to use lubricant during sexual activity.
Scar tissue can also constrict the vaginal opening. Penetrative vaginal sex may become more painful and difficult as a result of this.
The bladder or rectum may need to be removed in some circumstances. If this happens, you’ll have to pass pee or excrement in a different way. A surgeon can cut a hole in your stomach and connect a bag to collect waste products, known as a colostomy bag.
The rectum can sometimes be repaired, making a colostomy bag only a temporary solution.
Other hazards associated with surgical therapy include
Lymphedema, or swollen legs, is more common if lymph nodes are present. In the event that your ovaries are removed, you may have an early menopause and be more likely to get deep vein thrombosis.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, like radiotherapy, has a long-range of negative effects. It, too, has the potential to harm healthy cells.
The following are some of the side effects:
- Nausea or vomiting, fatigue, difficulty breathing, hair loss or thinning, infection risk
Is there anything you can do to reduce your chances of getting vaginal cancer?
While you may not be able to completely eliminate your risk of vaginal cancer, there are several things you can do to help:
Take steps to reduce your HPV risk. Using condoms and other barrier techniques whenever you have any sort of sex (vaginal, oral, or anal) and obtaining the HPV vaccine are two examples. Speak with a doctor or other HCP to learn more about the HPV vaccine.
If you smoke, you should think about stopping. Smoking is a substantial lifestyle risk factor for vaginal cancer and other malignancies. Here are some pointers to get you started.
Only drink in moderation. Heavy drinking has been linked to an increased risk of vaginal cancer.
Get Pap smears and pelvic checks on a regular basis. This will help your doctor or other health care provider find precancers before they turn into vaginal cancers, as well as find vaginal cancer early before it spreads or causes major symptoms to show up.
What is the prognosis for vaginal cancer patients?
According to the American Cancer Society, vaginal cancer has a five-year survival rate of 49%. The chances of survival vary substantially depending on the stage.
The survival rate for localized tumors is 66 percent after five years. The rate of vaginal cancer that has spread to other areas of the body is 21%. The extent to which cancer has spread and where it has spread are also factors in survival chances.
Other factors that can affect survival rates are listed by the NCI. Women over the age of 60, for example, have a decreased survival rate. There is a lower chance that women who have vaginal cancer at the time of their diagnosis and who have tumors in the middle or lower third of their vagina will live.
These figures are based on cancer diagnoses and treatments from five years ago, and they may not apply to you. New medical breakthroughs suggest that the prognosis for cancer diagnosed today may be different.
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