External radiation therapy: A machine outside your body directs beams of high-energy radiation at your tumor.
Internal radiation therapy: Sealed wires or catheters containing radioactive material are placed inside your vagina, either into or near the tumor.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy alone isn’t an effective treatment for vaginal cancer, but it may be used alongside radiation to enhance its effectiveness. Sometimes, chemotherapy is used to treat tumors that disappear with treatment and later return.
Your provider may recommend you take part in a clinical trial to try new cancer treatments in development. The American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute are good resources for locating current clinical trials involving vaginal cancer treatments.
How can I reduce my risk of getting vaginal cancer?
You can’t prevent vaginal cancer, but you can reduce your risk.
Get regular pelvic exams and Pap tests. Talk with your provider about how regularly you should be receiving routine checks from your gynecologist.
Get the HPV vaccine. Talk to your provider about getting vaccinated against HPV. Currently, there are three FDA-approved vaccines available, Gardasil, Gardasil 9 and Cervarix.
Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk of all cancers, including vaginal cancer.
Vaginal Cancer SymptomsYour prognosis for vaginal cancer depends on the stage at which it’s diagnosed. Early-stage vaginal cancers can often be successfully treated, and you can go on to live a full life. Later-stage cancers are harder to treat and may require ongoing chemotherapy and other treatment options. For this reason, it’s important to get regular gynecological exams, even when you feel healthy. Seek medical advice at the first sign of symptoms.
Yes. But it’s rare for cancer to begin in your vagina, as with vaginal cancer. More often, cancers that begin in other parts of your body spread to your vagina. Cancers that spread to your vagina most commonly begin in your cervix (cervical cancer) or the lining of your uterus (uterine cancer/endometrial cancer).
Vaginal bleeding is a common symptom of multiple cancers, including vaginal cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. But abnormal bleeding is a common sign of multiple conditions, not just cancer. Don’t assume you have cancer if you have unusual bleeding. Still, see your healthcare provider to get checked.
The most common symptom of vaginal cancer is painless vaginal bleeding, which means you may not feel vaginal cancer at all. Less commonly, you may experience pain in your pelvis, painful urination or discomfort related to constipation.
If you receive a vaginal cancer diagnosis, it’s important to have an honest discussion with your provider about the type of cancer, if it’s spread, and what your treatment options are. Your prognosis will depend on multiple factors. Your provider is your best resource for explaining what this diagnosis means for you.
In the meantime, establishing a support network that includes family members, friends, current cancer patients and cancer survivors is an essential part of your care plan, too. The American Cancer Society can connect you with cancer support groups. Speak to a counselor to process your diagnosis. Getting your emotional needs met is as important as the clinical care you receive.
Vaginal cancer is a rare cancer that occurs in your vagina — the muscular tube that connects your uterus with your outer genitals. Vaginal cancer most commonly occurs in the cells that line the surface of your vagina, which is sometimes called the birth canal.
While several types of cancer can spread to your vagina from other places in your body, cancer that begins in your vagina (primary vaginal cancer) is rare.
A diagnosis of early-stage vaginal cancer has the best chance for a cure. Vaginal cancer that spreads beyond the vagina is much more difficult to treat.
Products & Services Assortment Women's Health Products from Mayo Clinic Store Show more products from Mayo Clinic Symptoms Female reproductive organs Female reproductive systemOpen pop-up dialog box Early vaginal cancer may not cause any signs and symptoms. As it progresses, vaginal cancer may cause signs and symptoms such as:
Unusual vaginal bleeding, for example, after intercourse or after menopause Watery vaginal discharge A lump or mass in your vagina Painful urination Frequent urination Constipation Pelvic pain When to see a doctor See your doctor if you have any signs and symptoms related to vaginal cancer, such as abnormal vaginal bleeding. Since vaginal cancer doesn't always cause signs and symptoms, follow your doctor's recommendations about when you should have routine pelvic exams.
Anal cancer: Over 90% of anal cancers are caused by HPV. The number of new cases and deaths from anal cancer are increasing each year. Anal cancer is nearly twice as common in women as in men. Learn more about anal cancer statistics.
Penile cancer: Most penile cancers (over 60%) are caused by HPV. Learn about the importance of getting recommended treatments for penile cancer, a rare type of cancer.
Vaginal cancer: Most vaginal cancers (75%) are caused by HPV. Learn about symptoms of, and treatment for, vaginal cancer, a rare type of cancer.
Vulvar cancer: Most vulvar cancers (70%) are caused by HPV. Learn about new cases and death rates from vulvar cancer, a rare type of cancer.
In the United States, high-risk HPVs cause 3% of all cancers in women and 2% of all cancers in men. Each year, there are about 45,000 new cases of cancer in parts of the body where HPV is often found, and HPV is estimated to cause about 36,000 of these, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Worldwide, the burden of HPV-related cancers is much greater. High-risk HPVs cause about 5% of all cancers worldwide, with an estimated 570,000 women and 60,000 men getting an HPV-related cancer each year. Cervical cancer is among the most common cancers and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in low- and middle-income countries, where screening tests and treatment of early cervical cell changes are not readily available.
HPV infection passes easily between sexual partners. It can be transmitted through any intimate skin-to-skin contact, including vaginal–penile sex, penile–anal sex, penile–oral sex, vaginal–oral sex, and use of sex toys or other objects. Condoms and dental dams can lower the chance of HPV transmission but do not prevent it completely.
Infection with high-risk HPV does not usually cause symptoms. The precancerous cell changes caused by a persistent HPV infection at the cervix rarely cause symptoms, which is why regular cervical cancer screening is important. Precancerous lesions at other sites in the body may cause symptoms like itching or bleeding. And if an HPV infection develops into cancer, the cancer may cause symptoms like bleeding, pain, or swollen glands. Learn more about signs and symptoms of cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers.
The HPV vaccine Gardasil 9® protects against infection from nine HPV types: the two low-risk HPV types that cause most genital warts, plus the seven high-risk HPV types that cause most HPV-related cancers.
Does Vaginal Cancer Cause BleedingHPV vaccination is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP) to prevent new HPV infections and HPV-associated cancers and other diseases.
HPV vaccination provides strong protection against new HPV infections. Vaccination is prevention and does not cure an infection once you have it. The HPV vaccine is not used to treat HPV infections or diseases caused by HPV. HPV vaccination offers the most protection when given at ages 9-12. HPV vaccination is estimated to prevent up to 90% of HPV-related cancers.
The HPV vaccine series is recommended for girls and boys, at the age of 11 or 12, and the series can be started at age 9. It is important for males as well as females to get vaccinated, because both men and women can develop cancers of the mouth and throat, anal cancers, and genital warts. Women are also at risk for cervical cancer, and men for penile cancer. Vaccination can also reduce the spread of HPV that causes cancer to other people.
Children who start the vaccine series before age 15 need two doses to be protected. For young people who weren’t vaccinated within the age recommendations, HPV vaccination is recommended up to age 26. Those who receive their first dose at age 15 or older need three doses to be protected.
Yes, the vaccine can be given to adults between the ages of 27 and 45 who didn’t receive all vaccine doses earlier. Adults in this age group benefit less from the vaccine because they are more likely to have been exposed to HPV already. Therefore vaccination is not routinely recommended for people in this age group. If you are concerned that you are at risk for a new HPV infection, talk with your health care provider about whether HPV vaccination may be right for you.
Screening tests are used to check for disease when there are no symptoms. The goal of screening for cervical cancer is to find precancerous cell changes at an early stage, before they become cancer and when treatment can prevent cancer from developing.
Currently, cervical cancer is the only HPV-caused cancer for which FDA-approved screening tests are available. Screening for cervical cancer is an important part of routine health care for people who have a cervix. This includes women and transgender men who still have a cervix. Cervical cancer screening tests include the HPV test that checks cervical cells for high-risk HPV, the Pap test that checks for cervical cell changes that can be caused by high-risk HPV, and the HPV/Pap cotest that checks for both high-risk HPV and cervical cell changes.
Learn more about Cervical Cancer Screening—including HPV and Pap testing—and find out about next steps after an abnormal Pap test or positive HPV test.
Sometimes an HPV infection can become active again after many years. Learn more about what it means if a woman has a positive HPV test after many years of negative tests.
There are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tests to detect HPV infections or HPV-caused cell changes in anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile, or oropharyngeal tissues. Research studies are ongoing to identify tests that can detect precancers in these areas or find cancer in an earlier, more treatable stage.
Anal cancer screening: Among populations that are at higher risk for anal HPV infection, such as men who have sex with men or people who are HIV positive, research has found that an anal Pap test (also called an anal Pap smear) may help to detect early cell changes or precancerous cells. A clinical trial found that treating precancerous anal lesions (called HSIL) in people living with HIV cut their risk of developing anal cancer by more than half.
