Best Vaginal cancer treatment in Bangalore | Dr Murali Subramanian
A rare type of cancer, vaginal cancer starts in the vagina. It accounts for about 1 percent of cancers in the world. It mostly occurs in women over 60, but yes, younger women have got them too. This is Dr.Murali Subramanian, medical oncologist, practicing in Bangalore and in this blog i will be giving you some information on a rare form of cancer called vaginal cancer and Vaginal cancer treatment in Bangalore
The main types of vaginal cancer are
- Squamous cell. Squamous cell cancer starts in the vaginal lining and develops slowly. It accounts for around 78 percent of vaginal cancers.
- Adenocarcinoma: Adenocarcinoma cancer starts in the vaginal gland cells. It’s most common in women over 50. It’s the second-most common type of vaginal cancer.
- Melanoma. This type of cancer starts in the melanoma cells.
- Sarcoma. This type of cancer is very rare and starts in the vaginal walls.
Remember that if diagnosed in early stages, vaginal cancer treatment has a high success rate.
Symptoms of vaginal cancer
Look out for abnormal bleeding after sex, in between periods and after menopause.Some other symptoms to watch out for are abnormal vaginal discharge, pelvic pain and fistulas.
Sometimes, vaginal cancer patients do not experience any symptoms.Hence we advise a routine pelvic examination for all women.
Causes and risk factors of vaginal cancer
Causes of vaginal cancer include:
Human papilloma virus (HPV) causes vaginal cancer. People who have cervical cancer are also at a higher risk.Previously doctors prescribed diethystilbestrol (DES) to women inorder to reduce chances of miscarriage. But this has been stopped completely.
Risk factors for vaginal cancer include:
Diagnosis of vaginal cancer
The first step involves complete examination by the doctor. Second involves a pelvic examination and a pap smear.
If the Pap smear is similar to a pelvic exam and shows any abnormal cells, your doctor will perform a colposcopy. The doctor uses a colposcope to magnify and examine the cervix and vaginal walls.
Next step is a biopsy once the exact location is located.
If the biopsy reveals cancer,the doctor will do MRI or CT scan to see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Stages of vaginal cancer
To know how much the cancer has spread, and to decide on the mode of treatment, it is necessary to know the stage of the cancer.
- If the diagnosis result stage is Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN), it is only precancer.
- Stage 1. This means Cancer is only in the vaginal wall.
- Stage 2. This means Cancer has spread to the tissue next to the vagina
- Stage 3. This means Cancer has spread into the pelvis and pelvic wall and lymph nodes
- Stage 4. Stage 4 is divided into two substages:
- Stage 4A- cancer has spread to the bladder, rectum, or both.
- Stage 4B- cancer has spread throughout the body to organs, such as the lungs, liver, or more distant lymph nodes.
Treatment for vaginal cancer
If the vaginal cancer is diagnosed in stage 1, you might be recommended surgery followed by radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy is the most recommended and preferred form of treatment for vaginal cancer
After several rounds of radiation, doctors prefer surgery and stop radiation as only a certain amount of radiation can be tolerated by the body. During surgery, the doctors may remove only the tumour or may remove the vagina , surrounding tissues and the pelvic organs.
Outlook for people with vaginal cancer
Vaginal cancer has a five-year survival rate of 40 percent. Survival rates differ greatly by stage.
Survival rate can depend on the age of the patient and the location of the tumor.
Prevention of vaginal cancer
It is important to note that no one can completely prevent any type of cancer. But certain factors may prevent the occurrence. So it is worth taking up these precautions.
- Women must get an HPV vaccine after discussing with their doctor.
- Smoking is a risk factor for vaginal cancer.
- Alcohol consumption must be limited
- Regular pelvic exams and Pap smears help your doctor find precancers before they turn into vaginal cancers. This will help a lot in the treatment and recovery process.
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