
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Vaginal cancer natural history
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Depending on the extent of the tumor at the time of diagnosis, the prognosis of vaginal cancer may vary. However, the prognosis is generally regarded as good.The 5-year survival rate can also depend on the type of vaginal cancer. For squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina, the 5-year survival rate is 54%. For adenocarcinoma of the vagina, the rate is about 60%. Symptoms are related to local extension of disease, urinary symptoms (eg, frequency, dysuria, hematuria), or gastrointestinal complaints (eg, tenesmus, constipation, melena)
Natural History
- Vaginal bleeding is the most common clinical presentation of vaginal cancer. Many women are asymptomatic.
- Vaginal bleeding associated with vaginal cancer is typically postcoital or postmenopausal.
- A watery, blood-tinged, or malodorous vaginal discharge may also be present[1].
- A vaginal mass may also be noted by the patient.
- Symptoms are related to local extension of disease, urinary symptoms (eg, frequency, dysuria, hematuria), or gastrointestinal complaints (eg, tenesmus, constipation, melena)[2].
- Pelvic pain from extension of disease beyond the vagina is present in 5 percent of patients.
- 20 percent of women are asymptomatic at time of diagnosis [17-19].
- These vaginal cancers may be detected as a result of cytologic screening for cervical cancer or may be an incidental finding of a vaginal mass on pelvic examination.
Complications
Complications
Surgery related
- Infection
- VTE
- Haemorrhage
- Vesicovaginal fistula
- Bladder dysfunction
- Fever
- lymphocyst formation
- Short Vagina
Radiotherapy related
Prognosis
Prognosis
- Data from a United States National Cancer Database showed an increased risk of mortality in women with vaginal cancer with stage II or greater disease and/or tumor size >4 cm (five-year survival 65 versus 84 percent in tumors ≤4 cm)[4].
- Mortality was 51 percent higher in women with melanoma compared with squamous vaginal cancer.
- Patient prognosis depends primarily on the stage of disease, but survival is reduced among those who are older than 60 years, are symptomatic at the time of diagnosis.
- In addition, the length of vaginal wall involvement has been found to be associated with survival and stage of disease in vaginal Squamous cell cancer(SCC) patients.
- Non–DES-associated adenocarcinomas generally have a worse prognosis than Squamous cell cancer(SCC) tumors, but DES-associated clear cell tumors have a relatively good prognosis[5].
References
References
- ↑ Choo YC, Anderson DG (August 1982). “Neoplasms of the vagina following cervical carcinoma”. Gynecol. Oncol. 14 (1): 125–32. PMID 7095583.
- ↑ Herbst AL, Ulfelder H, Poskanzer DC (April 1971). “Adenocarcinoma of the vagina. Association of maternal stilbestrol therapy with tumor appearance in young women”. N. Engl. J. Med. 284 (15): 878–81. doi:10.1056/NEJM197104222841604. PMID 5549830.
- ↑ Nori D, Hilaris BS, Stanimir G, Lewis JL (October 1983). “Radiation therapy of primary vaginal carcinoma”. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 9 (10): 1471–5. PMID 6629889.
- ↑ Beller U, Sideri M, Maisonneuve P, Benedet JL, Heintz AP, Ngan HY, Pecorelli S, Odicino F, Creasman WT (2001). “Carcinoma of the vagina”. J Epidemiol Biostat. 6 (1): 141–52. PMID 11385773.
- ↑ Hellman K, Lundell M, Silfverswärd C, Nilsson B, Hellström AC, Frankendal B (2006). “Clinical and histopathologic factors related to prognosis in primary squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina”. Int. J. Gynecol. Cancer. 16 (3): 1201–11. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1438.2006.00520.x. PMID 16803507.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Syed Musadiq Ali M.B.B.S.[2]
