Vaginal malignancy.

Abstract

Various malignant neoplasms, either primary or secondary, can affect the vagina. The most common primary malignant tumors of the vagina are squamous cell cancers; however, they are among the most uncommon of all primary gynecologic cancers. Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia is being diagnosed with increasing frequency and continues to be a challenging problem. Laser therapy and topical 5-fluorouracil are the preferred treatment methods reported in the current literature. Invasive cancer of the vagina is primarily a disease of the older woman and presents most commonly with abnormal bleeding. Radiotherapy continues to be used as external beam or intracavitary treatment for the majority of women with this problem. Vaginal melanomas are a special group of vaginal neoplasms and appear to have a much poorer prognosis than their vulvar counterparts. It would appear that early diagnosis is the most favorable factor affecting outcome, with treatment modality being secondary.