Vaginal cancer forms in the tissues of the vagina (birth canal), which leads from the cervix to the outside of the body.
The most common type of vaginal cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, which starts in the thin, flat cells lining the vagina. This layer of cells is also called epithelium or epithelial lining. Another type is adenocarcinoma, which begins in glandular cells in the lining of the vagina.
Treatment Options for Vaginal Cancer
Vaginectomy is surgery to remove the vagina.
- Partial vaginectomy: only part of the vagina is removed
- Total vaginectomy: the entire vagina is removed
- Radical vaginectomy: removal of the vagina along with the supporting tissues around it
Additional procedures:
- Hysterectomy is a procedure in which to remove a vaginal cancer, the uterus and cervix must be removed, as well as all or part of the vagina. The fallopian tubes and ovaries are often removed in this operation. The common approach to this surgery — total abdominal hysterectomy — can be done by traditional means or through a minimally invasive strategy.
- Vaginal reconstruction can rebuild or reconstruct a vagina with tissue from another part of your body so that you can have sex after surgery. A new vagina can be surgically created out of skin, intestinal tissue or myocutaneous (muscle and skin) grafts.
- Pelvic exenteration is a major operation that includes vaginectomy, removing the pelvic lymph nodes and removing one or more of the following: the lower colon, rectum, bladder, uterus, and/or cervix. How much has to be removed depends on how far the cancer has spread.