Understanding and Treatment of Vaginal Cancer

The vagina is the canal that connects the cervix (neck of the womb) to the outside of the body and the way out the baby during a normal delivery. Vaginal cancer is a rare type of cancer that appears in the vagina. There are two types of vaginal cancer:

Secondary vaginal cancer, is cancer that first appeared on other body parts, but spread to the vagina.
Primary vaginal cancer, is cancer that first appeared in the vagina. More rare than secondary vagian cancer.
Aged 60 years or older, and have been exposed to the type of drug DES (diethylstilbestrol) while still a fetus will affect a woman's risk of contracting cancer of the vagina. The chance of a vaginal cancer patient cured depending on age, health condition and rapidly whether or vaginal cancer are diagnosed.

Vaginal cancer can occur without symptoms or signs, then do a vaginal examination (pap smear) on a regular basis once every three years if you are aged 25 to 49 years and every five years if you are aged 50 to 64 years.

Symptoms of Vaginal Cancer
Some common signs and symptoms of vaginal cancer are:

• Appeared itching or there is a lump in the vagina.
• Whitish fluid that contains blood and smelled.
• Bleeding outside the menstrual cycle, or after intercourse.
• Constipation.
• Pain during intercourse and urination.
• Urine mixed with blood.
• Bleeding after menopause.
• Frequent urination.
• Pain in the pelvic cavity.

Causes and Risk Factors Vaginal Cancer
Cause cancer of the vagina is still not known with certainty. In general, cancer arises when cells in certain parts of the body divide and multiply too fast and uncontrolled.

In addition to the age and type of exposure to the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol), there are some things that increase a person's risk of vaginal cancer, namely:

• HPV (human papilloma virus) or HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
• First have intercourse at a young age.
• Suffering abnormal cells in the vagina.
• Active smoker.
• Never have cancer of the reproductive organs.
• Changing partners.
• had undergone

Vaginal Cancer Diagnosis
To diagnose vaginal cancer, the first step is to ask the doctor who performed signs and symptoms felt by the patient. Then the doctor will perform a physical examination on the outside as well as inside the vagina of patients to see if there is a lump or swelling not normal.

Besides those two things, maybe the doctor will ask the patient to perform some other checks such as:

• Blood tests, to ensure that there is no infection in the vagina.
• Pap test or Pap smear.
• Colposcopy and biopsy. The examination in which special instruments are used to examine the vagina in more detail. If there is a suspected vaginal tissue is cancer tissue, will be taken as a sample (biopsy) and sent to the laboratory.
• Imaging tests. The doctor may advise the patient to undergo imaging tests to see the development and spread of cancer, such as X-rays, MRI, CT scans, PET dn.
• Camera. Just like imaging tests, a tiny camera is inserted into the patient's body to see the development and spread of cancer.

Imaging tests and the use of cameras used by doctors to determine how to stage vaginal cancer has progressed. Stages in vaginal cancer include:

• Stage 1 - cancer can only grow in the vaginal wall.
• Stage 2 - the cancer begins to spread out the vagina on the surrounding tissues.
• Stage 3 - the cancer has spread to the pelvis and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage 4a - cancer has spread beyond the vagina up to the surrounding organs such as the bladder or rectum.
• Stage 4b ​​- the cancer has spread to more distant organs such as the lungs.

Vaginal Cancer Treatment
The two factors that differentiate the treatment of vaginal cancer is the position of cancer in the vagina and how rapidly spreading. Here are three types of vaginal cancer treatment.

Radiotherapy

This method is the primary treatment for vaginal cancer. There are two types of radiotherapy, namely:

External radiotherapy. Radiotherapy machine will fire a high-energy rays to the vagina and pelvis.
Internal radiotherapy. Radiotherapy equipment is small be inserted into the vagina.
Handling radiotherapy has some side effects for patients, namely:

• Loss of sexual desire.
• Skin redness burning.
• Whitish.
• Pain during urination.
• Diarrhea.
• Fatigue.
• Menopause comes sooner.
• Infertility.
• Narrowing of the vagina.

Surgery

There are four types of surgery to treat cancer of the vagina, namely:

• Vaginektomi partial. Surgery to lift the top of the vagina. Patients can have sex after recovering.
• Vaginektomi radical. Surgery in which the entire vagina and pelvic lymph nodes will be removed. Once recovered, the patient can have sex after undergoing vaginal reconstruction, but must always use sex lubricants.
• Vaginektomi and radical hysterectomy. Surgery to remove the entire vagina, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and the pelvic lymph nodes.
• Pelvic exenteration. Surgery to remove the entire vagina and surrounding tissues in the body, including the bladder and rectum.

Chemotherapy

Usually vaginal cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy in combination to control the symptoms when the cancer can not be cured. The drugs used in chemotherapy can also cause side effects, namely:

• Diarrhea.
• Fatigue.
• Hair loss.
• Increased risk of infection.

Because the number of patients with vaginal cancer are very few, then the patient may be asked to take part in the clinical trial program. This program serves to try to find the best way of dealing with vaginal cancer.

Prevention of Vaginal Cancer
To prevent vaginal cancer, there is no definite way. But there are some things that can reduce the risk of vaginal cancer, namely:

• Do not smoke. Smoking increases the risk of vaginal cancer.
• A pelvic exam and Pap smears regularly. Routine examination done so that cancer can be diagnosed as early as possible.
• HPV vaccination. Getting the HPV vaccination could reduce the risk of cancer associated with HPV, one vaginal cancer.

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