Vaginal Cancer

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask you about your medical history, your symptoms and any risk factors you might have for vaginal cancer. He or she will perform an internal pelvic exam and Pap smear. During a Pap smear, a small plastic stick and soft brush are used to collect cells from the vagina and cervix. These cells are examined for abnormalities. If the exam or Pap smear shows any abnormalities, additional tests may include:

• Colposcopy - In this procedure, an instrument with a magnifying lens is used to view the walls of the vagina and the cervix.

• Biopsy - If a suspicious area is found, a small sample of tissue will be taken to be examined in a laboratory for cancerous cells.

If cancer is diagnosed, more tests are done to determine how far the cancer has spread. These may include:

• Imaging tests, such as intravenous pyelogram to get views of the kidneys and bladder, barium enema to X-ray the colon, computed tomography (CT) scan, and bone or chest X-rays

• Endoscopic tests, such as cystoscopy to view the inside of the bladder or proctosigmoidoscopy to view the rectum and part of the colon

These are the stages of vaginal cancer:

• Stage 0 - This is a very early stage. Cancer appears only on the surface layer of the vagina.

• Stage I - Cancer is confined to the vagina but penetrates beyond the surface layer.

• Stage II - Cancer spreads to the connective tissue just beyond the vagina, but not to the pelvic wall or other organs.

• Stage III - Cancer spreads to the bones of the pelvis and/or other organs and lymph nodes in the pelvis on the same side as the tumor.

• Stage IVA - Cancer spreads to the rectum and bladder. As in Stage III, the lymph nodes also may be involved but on both sides of the body.

• Stage IVB - Cancer spreads to other parts of the body, such as the lungs.

• Recurrent - The cancer returns after being treated. It can recur in the vagina or other parts of the body.

Expected Duration

Unless treated, vaginal cancer continues to grow and spread.