gynecology and obstetrics
Vaginal Cancer
Key Points
Vaginal cancer is caused by HPV infection or in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol. Risk factors include cervical or vulvar precancer or cancer. Most patients present with abnormal vaginal bleeding. Usually diagnose with biopsy; sometimes wide local excision is necessary. Treat tumors confined to the wall of the upper third of the vagina with hysterectomy plus vaginectomy and lymph node dissection, sometimes followed by radiation therapy, and treat most other tumors with radiation therapy. 