Vaginal Cancer: Treatment Choices
There are many treatment options for vaginal cancer. The treatment that's best for
you depends on the results of your lab and imaging tests, where the cancer is growing,
and if it has spread. Your age, overall health, desire to get pregnant in the future,
and your preferences are part of treatment planning, too.
Learning about your treatment options
You may have questions and concerns about your treatment options. You may also want
to know how you’ll feel, how your body will work after treatment, and how treatment
might affect your sex life.
Your healthcare provider is the best person to answer your questions. They can tell
you what your treatment options are, how well each one is expected to work, and what
the risks and side effects are. Your provider may advise a certain treatment. Or you
may be offered more than 1 and asked which you’d like to use. It can be hard to make
this decision. It's important to take the time you need to make the best decision
for you.
Understanding vaginal cancer treatment goals
Treatment may help control or cure vaginal cancer. It can also improve your quality
of life by helping to control symptoms the cancer is causing. The goal of vaginal
cancer treatment is to do 1 or more of these:
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Remove the main tumor in the vagina
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Kill vaginal cancer cells
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Stop the growth or spread of vaginal cancer cells
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Prevent or delay the cancer from coming back
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Ease symptoms caused by the cancer, such as pain or pressure on organs
Types of treatment for vaginal cancer
There are 2 main kinds of treatment for vaginal cancer:
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Local treatments. These remove, destroy, or control cancer cells in 1 part of your body. Surgery and
radiation are local treatments.
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Systemic treatments. These destroy or control cancer cells throughout your whole body. Chemotherapy is
a systemic treatment.
You may have just 1 treatment or a combination of these treatments:
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Surgery. Surgery is used to remove the cancer in your vagina. The type of surgery used depends
on the stage of the cancer. During surgery, a biopsy may be done on nearby lymph nodes
in the groin and the pelvis. Vaginal cancer often spreads (metastasizes) to these
nodes. The biopsy results will help your healthcare provider know if the cancer has
spread. If it has spread, other organs or tissue may need to be removed during surgery.
Or you may need more treatment after surgery.
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Radiation therapy. This treatment kills cancer cells with high-energy radiation. The radiation may come
from a large machine that sends it into your body. Or radioactive implants may be
put inside your vagina for a certain amount of time. Radiation might be the only treatment
needed for smaller cancers. Many times, both types of radiation are used. Low-dose
chemotherapy is sometimes given along with radiation therapy to help treatment work
better.
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Chemotherapy. This is the use of strong medicines to kill cancer cells throughout your body. Chemo
can be used to shrink the cancer. It can reduce the chance that the cancer will spread
to other parts of your body. Chemotherapy can be given alone. Or you might get it
along with radiation to help treatment work better.
Clinical trials
Sometimes the only way to get newer types of treatment is through a research study.
This is called a clinical trial. Talk with your healthcare provider about what clinical
trials may be an option for you.
Making a decision
Deciding on the best treatment plan may take some time. Talk with your provider about
how much time you can take to check your options. You may want to get a second opinion
before deciding on your treatment plan. This can help you feel sure about the treatment
plan that's best for you. You also may want to include your family and friends in
this process.