Vaginal cancer

Vaginal cancer is an extraordinarily rare form of cancer that develops in the tissue of the vagina.^[1] Primary vaginal cancer originates from the vaginal tissue – most frequently squamous cell carcinoma, but primary vaginal adenocarcinoma, sarcoma, and melanoma have also been reported^[2] – while secondary vaginal cancer involves the metastasis of a cancer that originated in a different part of the body. Secondary vaginal cancer is more common.^[3] Signs of vaginal cancer may include abnormal vaginal bleeding, dysuria, tenesmus, or pelvic pain,^[4][5] though as many as 20% of women diagnosed with vaginal cancer are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis.^[6] Vaginal cancer occurs more frequently in women over age 50, and the mean age of diagnosis of vaginal cancer is 60 years.^[7] It often can be cured if found and treated in early stages. Surgery alone or surgery combined with pelvic radiation is typically used to treat vaginal cancer.