Vaginal cancer

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Definition

Vaginal cancer is a rare cancer that occurs in the vagina — the muscular tube that connects the uterus with the outer genitals. Vaginal cancer most commonly occurs in the cells that line the surface of the vagina, which is sometimes called the birth canal.

Vaginal cancer most commonly affects women older than 60. However, vaginal cancer can occur at any age.

While several cancers can spread to the vagina from other places in the body, cancer that begins in the vagina (primary vaginal cancer) is rare. Vaginal cancer comprises only 1 percent to 3 percent of gynecologic cancers. About 2,400 women are diagnosed with vaginal cancer each year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

Women with early-stage vaginal cancer have the best chance for a cure. Vaginal cancer that spreads beyond the vagina is much more difficult to treat.

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Symptoms