Symptoms
The great danger of vaginal carcinoma (cancer of the vagina) lies in the absence of symptoms. Patients often only notice changes in the discharge or bleeding (menstrual bleeding) when an ulcerous decay of the surface has occurred. Then, especially after sexual intercourse, bloody, watery or foul-smelling discharge can become noticeable.
If the vaginal carcinoma is more advanced, fistulae can form between the vagina and the bladder or rectum. If the tumor has spread to the surrounding tissue, abdominal pain or functional organ disorders may occur. Vaginal cancer causes no pain at first and only in advanced stages does pain occur in the abdomen.
The pain increases when urinating or during sexual intercourse and can be accompanied by bleeding or discharge. and pain when urinating in female vaginal cancer leads to watery, brownish discharge from the vagina, which can smell bad. The tumor in the vaginal wall can form small bleeding ulcers.
These open sores can then be colonized by bacteria and secretion is released by the infection.Unusual discharge is a warning sign of vaginal cancer and should be clarified by a doctor immediately. Bleeding outside the normal period can be a sign of vaginal cancer. Bleeding is reddish-brown in color and often occurs after sexual intercourse.
In vaginal cancer, a tumor grows in the wall of the vagina and penetrates the tissue. Cancers typically grow very quickly and are well supplied with blood because the tumor cells need a lot of oxygen and nutrients from the blood. Small injuries to the vaginal wall cause bloody ulcers to form and the characteristic bleeding from the vagina occurs.
Which stadiums are there?
Depending on the extent of the vaginal cancer in the body, it is divided into four stages: Stage 0: This is a very early stage in which the vaginal cancer has not yet spread. The tumor is still relatively small and has only affected the vagina. Stage 1: In this stage only the vaginal wall is affected by the tumor.
Stage 2 : The tumor cells have spread into the surrounding tissue of the vagina. Stage 3: The tumor has spread to the pelvis and has affected pelvic organs and lymph nodes located there. Stage 4-A: The rectum or the bladder are affected by the cancer.
Stage 4-B: The tumor cells have spread to other parts of the body and have formed metastases in the lungs, for example. In the beginning, vaginal cancer causes no pain, which means that it can grow for a long time until it is finally noticed. In the early stages, the most common symptoms are reddish-brown intermediate bleeding and discharge.
In the early stages of the cancer there are changes in the mucous membrane of the vagina. The tumor cells grow in the uppermost layers of the vaginal wall, whereby the carcinoma is only a few cell layers thick and is called surface carcinoma. The doctor calls this stage stage 0 or “carcinoma in situ”.
This means that the cancer is still at the site of origin and has not formed any metastases. Furthermore, in the early stages of vaginal cancer, the lymph nodes in the pelvic area are not yet affected. As the disease progresses, the tumor grows deeper into the tissue of the vagina and finally reaches the pelvic wall and attacks other organs.
In the advanced stage, vaginal cancer forms metastases and can invade other organs. Often the organs of the pelvic cavity, especially the bladder and rectum, are affected first. Later, the metastases spread via the lymph nodes and bloodstream to the liver and lungs.
The physician determines whether the vaginal cancer has already metastasized by means of an ultrasound examination or computed tomography (CT) of the pelvis and abdomen and an X-ray examination of the chest. The diagnosis of vaginal cancer is often a chance finding during routine gynecological examinations. Advanced carcinoma is accompanied by a disintegration of the epithelial surface and bleeds slightly when touched.
This makes it easier for the gynaecologist to recognize and localize it. However, small carcinomas are at risk of being overlooked. This makes a thorough examination with a colposcope all the more important.
In addition, a cytological examination of the vaginal epithelium should be performed annually. The Schiller iodine test offers another possibility: by dabbing the vaginal epithelium with iodine, the healthy, glycogen-containing epithelia turn brown-red. If any abnormalities have occurred in these diagnostic procedures, further examinations will follow.
These usually include a biopsy and sonography to assess the surrounding organs. To clarify whether the urinary tract or the rectum is affected, a rectoscopy and a urethrocystoscopy are performed. In exceptional cases, computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be performed for specific diagnostic purposes. In this case, the entire abdominal cavity is examined for metastases and tumor formations.
