Cancer, vaginal

Vaginal cancer is a rare type of cancer. The most common symptom of vaginal cancer is painless bleeding from the vagina.

The vagina

The vagina is a tube of muscle that runs from the cervix (the opening of the womb) to the vulva (the external sexual organs).

The vagina has three main functions:

• It provides a channel through which blood released during menstruation (a period) can leave the body.
• It provides a channel that allows a baby to leave the womb during childbirth.
• It contains a large number of nerve endings that help stimulate feelings of sexual pleasure during intercourse.

Types of vaginal cancer

There are two main types of vaginal cancer:

• primary vaginal cancer, where the cancer begins inside the vagina, and
• secondary vaginal cancer, where the cancer begins in another part of the body (usually the reproductive system), such as the cervix or ovaries, and then spreads to the vagina.

The rest of this article will focus on primary vaginal cancer.

Types of primary vaginal cancer

There are three main types of primary vaginal cancer. They are classified according to the type of cells that the cancer begins in. 

• Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of vaginal cancer, accounting for 85% of all cases. It usually develops in women over 50.
• Clear cell adenocarcinoma accounts for 9% of all cases of vaginal cancer. This type of cancer usually affects teenagers and younger adults, with most cases developing in women between 14 and 20 years old.
• Melanoma is rare and accounts for up to 2% of all cases of primary vaginal cancer. As with squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma usually develops in women over 50.

How common is vaginal cancer?

Vaginal cancer is rare and accounts for one in every 1,000 cases of cancer overall.

The exact causes of vaginal cancer are unknown, but possible risk factors include:

• smoking, and
• being infected with the human papilloma virus (HPV).

Outlook

The outlook for squamous cell carcinoma and clear cell adenocarcinoma is generally good if the cancer is detected when it is still contained within the vagina. An estimated 70–80% of women with early-stage vaginal cancer live for at least five years after receiving a diagnosis, and many women will live much longer.

The outlook for the melanoma type of vaginal cancer is poor because it is very aggressive and spreads quickly. Only 15–20% of women live for five years or more after diagnosis.

Vaginal cancer can be treated with a combination of radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy.

Glossary

Uterus

The uterus, also known as the womb, is a hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman where a baby grows during pregnancy.