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Types of Cancer > Gynecologic Cancers > Vaginal Cancer > Overview

Vaginal Cancer: The Basics

Neha Vapiwala, MD and Eric T. Shinohara, MD, MSCI
Affiliation: Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: February 23, 2008

What is vaginal cancer?

It is an abnormal growth of malignant cells (neoplasm, tumor) in the vagina. The vagina itself, sometimes referred to as the "birth canal", is a 3 - 4 inch hollow tube that runs from the vulva (outside genitalia) up to the cervix (the lower part of the uterus, or womb). The walls of the vagina are often in a "closed" or collapsed position, but are able to expand significantly during sexual activity or baby delivery.

What are the different types of vaginal cancer?

The vast majority of vaginal cancers (over 90%) are squamous cell carcinomas which grow in the "skin" (epithelial lining) of the vagina. They usually occur in the top part of the vagina near the cervix, and evolve over a period of many years from precancerous areas called vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN).

A much smaller percentage of vaginal cancers ( 5%) are adenocarcinomas which arise from glandular tissues. A subtype of these is clear cell adenocarcinoma, which occurs in young women whose mothers took an old hormonal medication called diethylstilbestrol (DES) while they were pregnant with them. Diethylstilbestrol was prescribed from the 1940s to early 1970s for prevention of miscarriages.

Much rarer types of vaginal cancer are melanomas (2-3%), seen in the lower or outer portion of the vagina, and sarcomas (2-3%). The most common cause of masses in the vaginal are metastasis (spread of cancer from another site to the vagina). This can be caused by either direct growth of the tumor into the vagina (for example, from the rectum of bladder) or from a distant site (for example, breast) through the blood stream or lymph nodes.