Vaginal Cancer

Prevention

To lower your risk of developing vaginal cancer, consider the following guidelines.

• Avoid human papilloma virus (HPV) infection - HPV is a common sexually transmitted disease that causes genital warts. Certain types of HPV are associated with cervical and vaginal cancer. If the vagina or cervix becomes infected with HPV, cells can grow abnormally, increasing the possibility of developing squamous cell cancer. The risk of HPV infection increases if you begin having intercourse at an early age or if you have unprotected sex at any age, many sexual partners, or sex with a person who has had many partners. To avoid HPV infection, always use condoms and limit the number of people you have sex with. Condoms cannot always prevent HPV infection but they are important to lower the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

• Get regular Pap tests. - Many vaginal squamous cell cancers develop from changes in the surface of the vagina that can be detected by a Pap test and treated before full cancer develops. In general, doctors recommend that a woman start to have regular Pap tests by the time she becomes sexually active or by the age of 21 at the latest. After three negative Pap tests (at least one year apart), your doctor may do the test every two to three years, depending on your age and your risk of developing cervical cancer. All women older than 40 should continue to have an annual pelvic examination.

• Do not smoke, or quit smoking - Women with vaginal cancer also are at increased risk of developing lung cancer. Since lung cancer is related primarily to tobacco use, this finding suggests a possible link between smoking and vaginal cancer.

Treatment

The choice of treatment depends upon the type of cancer and its stage at the time of diagnosis. The treatment plan also takes into account a woman's age, overall health, fertility and personal considerations.

The two major treatments for vaginal cancer are radiation therapy and surgery. Chemotherapy has not proven to be very successful for this type of cancer. It is only being used with or without radiation for very advanced cancers, and then usually as part of a clinical trial.