Am I At Risk for Vaginal Cancer?

There is no way to be sure if you’re going to get vaginal cancer. And there is no known way to prevent it. Certain factors can make you more likely to get this type of cancer. These are called risk factors. Unfortunately, doctors do not know what causes vaginal cancer. Most women who develop it have no known risk factors at all. The risk factors that have been found only slightly raise your chances of getting the disease.

Still, tell your doctor if you agree with any of the bolded statements.

I am older than 60.

Most women are older than 60 when they are diagnosed with vaginal cancer.

I have a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection that doesn’t go away.

HPV are a group of viruses that may cause changes in your genital tract that are precancerous. Some HPV types are also associated with genital warts. If you are infected with certain cancer-causing types of HPV, you may be more at risk for vaginal squamous cell carcinoma. Other factors can increase your risk for HPV infection and vaginal cancer. These include:

  • having intercourse in your early teens
  • having many sexual partners
  • having unprotected sex at any age
  • having HIV
  • having a suppressed immune system after an organ transplant

Keep in mind that you may have none of these non-HPV associated risk factors and develop vaginal cancer. Research is being done now to determine why this occurs.

HPV vaccine

Now there is a vaccine that can protect young girls from the most common cancer-causing HPV types. This is a preventative vaccine. It is meant to be given to young girls and women before they are potentially exposed to HPV. It appears that the HPV vaccine helps to prevent vaginal precancerous lesions. It may also help protect against vaginal cancers. But this will not be known for decades. If you are a young woman or teenager, talk with your doctor about the HPV vaccine.

I have cervical or vulvar cancer.

Having cervical cancer or a precancerous condition of the cervix may increase your risk for squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina. Having vulvar cancer may also increase your risk. These types of cancers share similar risk factors to vaginal cancer.

I smoke.

Smoking increases the risk for both cervical cancer and vaginal cancer.

My mother took diethylstilbestrol (DES).

If your mother took the drug DES when pregnant with you, you may be more at risk for getting clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina. DES is a drug that helped prevent miscarriages. It was generally taken by pregnant women from the 1940’s to 1960. As time passes, doctors are seeing fewer women who have been exposed to DES as a fetus.

I have vaginal adenosis.

This is a change in the cells lining the vagina. Normally, the cells of the vaginal lining are flat squamous cells. But, in some women, areas of the vagina may develop cells that look more like those found in either the glands of the lower uterus or the upper uterine lining. This is called vaginal adenosis. It happens in almost all women who were exposed to in utero DES. In women with adenosis who were not exposed to DES, the risk for clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina is not known.