VAGINAL CANCER (con't)
Overview of Vaginal Cancer
Vaginal cancer, a rare kind of cancer in women, is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the tissues of the vagina. It accounts for 1 to 2 percent of all gynecologic cancers.
Types of Vaginal Cancer:
There are two main types of primary vaginal cancers and they are named after the cells from which they develop:
- Squamous cell carcinoma of
the vagina. The
most common type of vaginal cancer is called squamous cell. This
is usually found in the upper part of the vagina and most commonly
affects women between the ages of 50 and 80.
- Adenocarcinoma of the vagina. Adenocarcinoma is more often found in women between the ages of 12 and 30 but may occasionally occur in other age groups. Clear cell adenocarcinoma is rare and occurs most often in patients less than 30 years of age who have a history of in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES). The drug DES was given to pregnant women between 1945 and 1970 to keep them from losing their babies (miscarriage).
Other very rare types include:
- Melanoma of the vagina
- Small cell carcinoma of the vagina
- Sarcoma of the vagina, including leiomyosarcoma of the vagina
- Lymphoma of the vagina
- Adenosquamous of the vagina
- Endodermal sinus tumor of the vagina
- Small cell neuroendocrine vaginal cancer
Secondary Vaginal Cancer:
Secondary cancers in the vagina are more common than primary vaginal cancer and usually come from the neck of the uterus (the cervix), the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) or from nearby organs such as the bladder or bowel.
Stages of Vaginal Cancer:
Stage 0
Stage 0 vaginal cancer or carcinoma in situ is a very early cancer. The cancer is found inside the vagina only and is in only a few layers of cells.
Stage I
Stage I (stage 1) vaginal cancer is found in the vagina but has not spread outside of it.
Stage II
Stage II (stage 2) vaginal cancer has begun to spread through the wall of the vagina to the tissues outside the vagina, but has not spread to the bones of the pelvis.
Stage III
Stage III (stage 3) vaginal cancer has spread to the bones of the pelvis and may also be in other organs and lymph nodes in the pelvis.
Stage IV
Stage IV (stage 4)vaginal cancer has spread to the bladder or the bowel or to other parts of the body, such as the lungs.
- Stage IVA vaginal cancer has spread into the bladder or rectum.
- Stage IVB vaginal cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the liver or lungs. It is now known as metastatic vaginal cancer, or vaginal cancer with lung metastases, vaginal cancer with liver metastases, etc.
Recurrent
Recurrent vaginal cancer means that the cancer has come back after it has been treated. It may come back in the vagina (local recurrence) or in another place.
Grade of Vaginal Cancer:
Grade indicates how quickly or slowly cancer cells grow. The grade is determined by the appearance of the cells under the microscope. Tumors are graded on a scale of 1 to 3.
Grade 1 - cells look most like normal tissue (called well differentiated or low-grade).
Grade 2 - cells look somewhat like normal tissue (called moderately well differentiated or moderate grade).
Grade 3 - cells appear very abnormal (called poorly differentiated or undifferentiated or high-grade). They are likely to grow more quickly and more likely to spread.
