Vaginal cancer is a very rare cancer that's found anywhere in the vagina. It's most common in women aged 75 and over.

Anyone with a vagina can get vaginal cancer.

The vagina is a tube between the vulva and the opening of the womb (cervix).
Vaginal cancer is nearly always caused by an infection from certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV).

It's often found and prevented by attending cervical screening, which aims to find and treat abnormalities before they turn into cancer.

Vaginal cancer usually grows very slowly and how serious it is depends on how big it is, if it has spread and your general health.

About vaginal cancer

More than half of all vaginal cancers are caused by an infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

You can get HPV from:

  • Any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
  • Vaginal, anal or oral sex
  • Sharing sex toys

You're more likely to get vaginal cancer if:

  • You have had an HPV infection
  • Precancerous cells have been found in your cervix (CIN) or vagina (VAIN)
  • You have had cervical cancer
  • You are 75 or over – vaginal cancer is more common in older women
  • You have lupus, a condition that affects your immune system
  • You have HIV or AIDS
  • Your mother took the hormonal medicine diethylstilbestrol (DES) while pregnant with you – your GP can discuss these risks with you
  • You have had womb cancer, especially if you had radiotherapy

Women can still get vaginal cancer even if they've had a hysterectomy.

If you're trans or non-binary and have a vagina, or have part of a vagina left from gender surgery, you can also get vaginal cancer, even if you've had a hysterectomy.

The main symptoms of vaginal cancer are usually:

  • A lump in the vagina
  • Ulcers and other skin changes in or around the vagina

Other symptoms of vaginal cancer include:

  • Bleeding from the vagina after the menopause
  • Bleeding after sex or pain during sex
  • Smelly or bloodstained vaginal discharge
  • Bleeding between periods
  • An itch in your vagina that will not go away
  • Pain when you pee, or needing to pee a lot

Vaginal cancer is rare, especially in women under 40.

Treatment depends on a range of factors including the size, stage and location of your tumour. It may also depend on your age, general health and genetic factors (linked to the DNA changes in your cells) that tell us how your cancer developed. 

Treatment options can include one or more of the following:

  • Surgery – this may be before, during or after other treatments
  • Drug therapies such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The general term for these is systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT)
  • Radiotherapy 

When you are diagnosed, your care will be discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT) where different specialists will consider the best treatment options for you. Your doctor will discuss this with you so you can decide what is right for you. 

Genomics and cancer

Genomics is the study of a person’s genes (or ‘genome’) – the material in DNA that makes each person unique. Cancer is caused by changes in the DNA of a cell and tell it to multiply out of control. 

Understanding where this change has occurred – for example, which gene is faulty – can help us know which treatment will give you the best chance of killing the cancer cells and stopping new ones from growing. 

If gene testing can be used and if this is recommended for you, your clinical team will explain this to you in more detail at your appointment. 

Our treatments

At The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, we provide specialist non-surgical treatment for vaginal cancer. We also work closely with surgical teams in other hospitals to plan and coordinate your care every step of the way. 

Systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT)

SACT is a term used to describe the different drug therapies for cancer. These include: 

  • Chemotherapy – which aims to kill cancer cells
  • Immunotherapy – which aims to train your immune system to attack cancer 
Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a drug that is used to kill cancer cells or stops them from dividing and multiplying. It can be used alone, with surgery and/or radiotherapy, with hormonal therapy, or other anti-cancer drugs such as targeted or biological therapies.

You may have chemotherapy for vaginal cancer:

  • After surgery to help stop the cancer coming back
  • Alongside, before or after radiotherapy 
  • To help slow the cancer down and ease symptoms if it has spread to other parts of your body

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy involves using high-energy radiation to destroy cancerous cells. Radiotherapy may be given for various reasons, depending on how big the cancer is and whether it has spread.

There are several ways it can be used to treat vaginal cancer:

  • Often it is given in combination with chemotherapy, this is called chemo radiation. 
  • Sometimes radiotherapy is given instead of surgery. 
  • Sometimes it is used to shrink the tumour before, during or after other treatment. 
  • Sometimes it is used to relieve symptoms such as pain. 

The radiotherapy treatments we offer for vaginal cancer include:

  • Traditional external beam radiotherapy – where radiation is delivered from outside the body
  • Brachytherapy – also known as ‘internal radiotherapy’ because the radiation is placed inside the body in close contact with the tumour

Clinical trials

Research and trials of new cancer treatments are an important part of our work. Your consultant will tell you about any clinical trials that may be suitable for you.

You are also very welcome to ask us about clinical trials during your appointments. We will be happy to answer any questions you have. 

Find out more about clinical trials. 

Treatment locations

We have a multi-site model where we visit hospitals across Cheshire and Merseyside to provide treatment and consultations closer to patients’ homes. 

We provide systemic anti-cancer therapies (e.g. chemotherapy and immunotherapy) for cervical cancer at the following sites:

  • Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool
  • Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Wirral
  • Halton – CanTreat Unit
  • St Helens – Lilac Centre
  • Outreach services to the Isle of Man

We provide radiotherapy for cervical cancer at: 

  • Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool

Clinical trials for cervical cancer are delivered at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool.

The team consists of clinical oncologists, medical oncologists, a nurse consultant, clinical nurse specialists, radiographers, pharmacy, research practitioners, administrative support and a cancer support worker. 

Our operational management team makes sure the service runs smoothly.

Consultants 

Medical Oncologists

Dr Rosie Lord
Dr Danielle Shaw
Dr Laura Cossar

Clinical Oncologists

Dr Karen Whitmarsh
Dr Anthea Cree
Dr Elizabeth Mullen

Associate Specialist Doctor

Dr Mona Chopra

Specialist Doctor

Dr Muhammad Heiba

Clinical Nurse Specialists

Caron Robb
Jenny Gleave

Cancer Support Workers

Rachel Burns

Brachytherapy Clinical specialist

Sarah Stead

Our Cancer Information and Support Centres can provide individualised help and support for patients and families affected by cancer. The team’s main base is in Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool but they also work at our Aintree and Wirral hospitals.

There are also local Macmillan services in other hospitals across our region.

External sites that offer extra support and information about vaginal cancer include: