Vaginal Cancer Information
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What is Vaginal Cancer?
Vaginal cancer is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the tissues of the vagina, or the passageway through which fluid passes out of the body during menstrual periods and through which a woman has babies. The vagina (also called the birth canal) connects the cervix (the opening of the womb or uterus) and the vulva (the folds of skin around the opening to the vagina).
According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer of the vagina is a rare kind of cancer in women, accounting for less than two percent of all gynecologic cancers.
Types of Vaginal Cancer
There are two types of cancer of the vagina: Squamous cell cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) and adenocarcinoma. Squamous cells are the thin, flat cells lining the vagina. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of vaginal cancer and is usually found in women between the ages of 60 and 80. Adenocarcinoma begins in glandular (secretory) cells in the vagina and is more often found in women between the ages of 12 and 30.
A Pap test (also known as a Pap smear) can identify cancerous cells in the vagina and the cervix. It is possible to develop vaginal cancer even if you have had a radical hysterectomy (in which both ovaries and the uterus are removed). Thus, it is important for every woman to have an annual pelvic exam and Pap smear, even if she has had her uterus removed.
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