An uncommon form of cancer called vaginal cancer develops in the muscular tube that connects your uterus with your outer genitalia, or vagina. The cells that line your vagina, also known as the birth canal, are where cancer in the vagina most frequently develops.
While many different cancers can migrate from other parts of your body to your vagina, primary vaginal cancer, which starts in your vagina, is uncommon.
The likelihood of a cure is highest when vaginal cancer is discovered in its early stages. Treatment for vaginal cancer that has spread outside of the vagina is substantially more challenging.
Symptoms of Vaginal Cancer:
Early cancer in the vagina may not show any symptoms at all. Vaginal cancer may manifest as the following signs and symptoms of vaginal cancer as it progresses:
- Uncommon vaginal bleeding after sex or after menopause
- Fluid genital discharge
- A tumor or bump in your ovary
- Unpleasing urination
- Urinating often
- Constipation
- Pelvic pain
Vaginal Cancer Survival Rates:
The percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer who are still alive five years (or more) after their diagnosis can be determined by looking at vaginal cancer survival rates.
While they can’t predict how long you’ll survive, they might be able to help you better grasp the likelihood that your therapy will be effective. The approximate survival rate for a vaginal cancer affliction is 49%.
Treatment for Vaginal Cancer:
Three types of standard treatment are used:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials, like:
- Immunotherapy
- Radiosensitizers
Treatment for vaginal cancer may cause side effects. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment. Follow-up tests may be needed.
Can You Still Get Cervical Cancer After a Hysterectomy?
You might be wondering if you can get vaginal cancer after a hysterectomy. According to the government’s health authority, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a reliable source According to source, over 600,000 hysterectomies are carried out annually in the United States.
The majority of hysterectomies are done to address or prevent underlying medical issues like endometriosis or reproductive malignancies. We’ll go through how having a hysterectomy may affect your chance of getting vaginal cancer or other reproductive malignancies in this post.
The cells of the cervix are where cancer in the vagina, a kind of reproductive cancer, originates. The human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that is easily spread during sexual activity, is the most frequent cause of cervical cancer.
In general, those who have had a partial hysterectomy continue to be at risk for vaginal cancer. A partial hysterectomy just removes the top half of the uterus; the cervix is left in place, so malignant cells could potentially form there.
A thorough hysterectomy lowers the risk of cervical cancer in the patient. Once the entire uterus—cervix included—is removed, there is no longer a cervix available for malignant cells to grow in.
However, a full hysterectomy may occasionally be carried out following the development of precancerous cells or the discovery of cancer in the vagina.
It’s probable that the vaginal cancer cells, in this case, had already left the cervix before the hysterectomy. Even after the cervix has been removed, cancer in the vagina can still occur if these malignant cells spread.
Indeed, a prior study on the subject indicated that more than 18% of patients who had a total radical hysterectomy for vaginal cancer reported a recurrence of the disease.
Different Types of Vaginal Cancer Staging:
Stage I:
Cancer in stage I is limited to the vaginal wall.
Stage II:
In stage II, cancer has penetrated the vaginal wall and reached the surrounding tissue. The pelvic wall has not been affected by cancer.
Stage III:
Cancer in stage III has reached the pelvic wall.
Stage IV:
Stage IV is further broken down into stages IVA and IVB
Stage IVA: Cancer may have spread to one or more of the following locations
- The bladder’s lining
- The rectum’s inner lining
Past the region of the pelvis where the cervix, uterus, and bladder are located.
Stage IVB: Cancer has spread to organs like the lung or bone that are not close to the vagina.
Vaginal cancer staging is done to estimate the kind of treatment required to cure it. There are a lot of therapies available to treat it.
Chemotherapy for Vaginal Cancer:
Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that employs medications to kill cancer cells or prevent them from proliferating in order to stop the growth of cancer cells.
Chemotherapy enters the bloodstream whether administered orally or through an injection into a vein or muscle, where it can impact cancer cells all over the body (systemic chemotherapy).
Chemotherapy mostly targets cancer cells in various regions when administered directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a bodily cavity like the abdomen (regional chemotherapy). The type and stage of the cancer being treated determine how the chemotherapy is administered.
Squamous cell vaginal cancer can be treated with topical chemotherapy that is given to the vagina as a cream or lotion.
Hence, these were some causes, types, and treatments that you must know about. This information will help you to fight against vaginal cancer. However, you should always take precautionary actions when you see any symptoms of vaginal cancer.
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