biology

Vaginal cancer

Vaginal cancer is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Vaginal cancer rather than just read about it. In short: Vaginal cancer is an extraordinarily rare form of cancer that develops in the tissue of the vagina. Primary vaginal cancer originates from the vaginal tissue – most frequently squamous cell carcinoma, but primary vaginal adenocarcinoma, sarcoma, and melanoma have also been reported – while secondary vaginal cancer involves the metastasis of a cancer that originated in a different part of the body.

Key takeaways

Vaginal cancer belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Vaginal cancer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Vaginal cancer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Vaginal cancer is an extraordinarily rare form of cancer that develops in the tissue of the vagina. Primary vaginal cancer originates from the vaginal tissue – most frequently squamous cell carcinoma, but primary vaginal adenocarcinoma, sarcoma, and melanoma have also been reported – 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. Signs of vaginal cancer may include abnormal vaginal bleeding, dysuria, tenesmus, or pelvic pain, though as many as 20% of women diagnosed with vaginal cancer are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. Vaginal cancer occurs more frequently in women over age 50, and the mean age of diagnosis of vaginal cancer is 60 years. 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.

Description Carcinoma of the vagina occurs in less than 2% of women with pelvic malignant tumors. Squamous carcinoma is the most common type of vaginal cancer. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is strongly associated with vaginal cancer. Vaginal cancer occurs most often in the upper third of the vagina (51%), 30% are found in the lower third, and 19% in the middle third. Vaginal cancer can present as an elevated lesion growing out from the epithelial surface or an ulcer-like, shallow depression. Definitive diagnosis is determined by biopsy.

Signs and symptoms Most vaginal cancers do not cause signs or symptoms early on. When vaginal cancer does cause symptoms, they may include:

Vaginal discharge or abnormal bleeding Unusually heavy flow of blood Bleeding after menopause Bleeding between periods; or any other Bleeding that is longer than normal Blood in the stool or urine Frequent or urgent need to urinate Feeling constipated Pain during sexual intercourse A lump or growth in the vagina that can be felt. Enlarged pelvic lymph nodes can sometimes be palpated.

Risk factors Prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 Previous history of cervical cancer Smoking Chronic vulvar itching or burning

Types There are two primary types of vaginal cancer: squamous-cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

Squamous-cell carcinoma of the vagina arises from the squamous cells (epithelium) that line the vagina. This is the most common type of vaginal cancer. It is found most often in women aged 60 or older. Vaginal adenocarcinoma arises from the glandular (secretory) cells in the lining of the vagina. Adenocarcinoma is more likely to spread to the lungs and lymph nodes. Clear cell adenocarcinoma occurs in a small percentage of women (termed "DES-Daughters") born between 1938 and 1973 (later outside the United States) that were exposed to the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) in utero. DES was prescribed to 5 to 10 million mothers period to prevent possible miscarriages and premature births. Typically, women develop DES-related adenocarcinoma before age 30, but increasing evidence suggests possible effects or cancers (including other forms of vaginal glandular tumors) at a later age. DES-exposure in women is also linked to various infertility and pregnancy complications. Daughters exposed to DES in utero may also have an increased risk of moderate/severe cervical squamous cell dysplasia and an increased risk of breast cancer. Approximately one in 1,000 (0.1%) DES daughters will be diagnosed with clear cell adenocarcinoma. The risk is virtually non-existent among premenopausal women not exposed to DES. Vaginal germ cell tumors (primarily teratoma and endodermal sinus tumor) are rare. They are usually found in infants and children. Sarcoma botryoides, a rhabdomyosarcoma, is also found most often in infants and children. Vaginal melanoma, a melanoma that appears in the vagina.

Diagnosis and screening Routine vaginal cancer screening, including routine surveillance imaging such as ultrasound or MRI, is not recommended for women who do not have symptoms. Imaging without indications is discouraged because it is unlikely to detect a recurrence or improve survival, and because it has its own costs and side effects. Several tests are used to diagnose vaginal cancer, including:

Physical exam and history Pelvic exam Biopsy Colposcopy MRI provides visualization of the extent of vaginal cancer. Other sources of cancer tissue such as the urethra or the cervix must be ruled out before a diagnosis of vaginal cancer is made. Vaginal cancer cannot be detected through cervical pap smears.

Classification Staging: The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics utilizes the Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) method of staging vaginal cancer. The clinical staging of the most common form of primary vaginal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, is outlined below.

Stage I - Tumor confined to the vagina Stage II - Tumor invading tissue near the vagina, but has not spread to the pelvic wall Stage III- Tumor invading pelvic sidewall or interfering with renal function, obstructing the ureter to cause hydronephrosis. Stage IV - Tumor invading mucosa of nearby pelvic organs, including bladder or rectum, or has spread beyond the pelvis.

Management Historically, the combination of external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) has been the most common treatment for vaginal cancer. In the early stages of vaginal cancer, surgery also has some benefit. This management and treatment is less effective for those with advanced stages of cancer, but works well in early stages with high rates of cure. Advanced vaginal cancer only has a 5-year survival rate of 52.2%, 42.5% and 20.5% for patients with stage II, III, and IVa disease. Newer treatments for advanced stages of ovarian cancer have been developed. These utilize concurrent carboplatin plus paclitaxel, EBRT and high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy (HDR-ISBT). When the chance of surgical removal of all cancerous tissue is very low or when the surgery has a chance of damaging the bladder, vagina, or bowel, radiation therapy is used. When a tumor is less than 4 cm in diameter, radiation therapy provides excellent results. In these instances, the 5-year survival rate is over 80%. Treatments are individualized due to the rarity of vaginal cancer studies.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vaginal cancer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vaginal cancer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Vaginal cancer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Vaginal cancer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Vaginal cancer

In research: Vaginal cancer appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Vaginal cancer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Vaginal cancer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Gynaecological cancer, Papillomavirus-associated diseases, Rare cancers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vaginal cancer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Vaginal cancer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Vaginal cancer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Vaginal cancer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vaginal cancer in simple terms?

Why does Vaginal cancer matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Vaginal cancer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Vaginal cancer.