Vaginal cancer classification
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Vaginal cancer may be classified according to histopathology into squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, vaginal germ cell tumor, and vaginal sarcoma.
Types of vaginal cancer
Types of vaginal cancer, in order of prevalence, include:
- Vaginal squamous cell carcinoma:
- Arises from the thin, flat squamous cells that line the vagina. By far the commonest, it accounts for 80-85% of primary vaginal malignancies and presents in older individuals.
- Vaginal adenocarcinoma:
- Approximately 15%, second most common subtype, presents in younger individuals and arises from the glandular (secretory) cells in the lining of the vagina that produce some vaginal fluids.
- Adenocarcinoma is more likely than squamous cell cancer to spread to the lungs and lymph nodes.
- The majority of cases of adneocarcinoma occur in women younger than 30 years and has been found in a small percentage of women whose mothers in the 1950s used diethylstilbestrol to prevent threatened abortions.
- Clear cell carcinoma of the vagina: rare, associated with previous diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure
- Vaginal germ cell tumors:
- These are rare (primarily teratoma and endodermal sinus tumor), and the majority of cases occur in infants and children.
- Vaginal sarcoma:
- Rhabdomyosarcoma in pediatric population, eg. sarcoma botryoides