Vaginal Cancer

Your healthcare provider will begin your examination by asking about your symptoms. You’ll most likely receive several tests to check for cancer or precancerous cells. Imaging procedures can help your provider see if your cancer has spread, a process called staging.

Testing

You’ll likely have a pelvic exam and a Pap smear (Pap test). If your provider finds abnormal cells, you may need further tests, like a colposcopy and a vaginal biopsy. A biopsy is the only test that can confirm a cancer diagnosis.

• Pelvic exam: Your provider will visually inspect your vulva and insert two fingers inside your vagina to feel for any abnormalities. They’ll use a tool called a speculum to widen your vagina so that it’s easier to see your vaginal canal and cervix.
• Pap smear: While holding your vagina open with a speculum, your provider will use a spatula-like tool and a brush to scrape cells from your cervix. These cells will get tested in a lab for signs of cancer or HPV.
• Colposcopy: In this procedure, your doctor uses a lighted instrument called a colposcope to look for abnormal cells in your vagina and cervix.
• Biopsy: A biopsy often accompanies colposcopy. Your provider will take a tissue sample that will be sent to a lab and tested for cancer cells.

Staging

Staging allows your provider to determine how advanced your cancer is. Vaginal cancer is staged in three ways, based on how far the tumor has progressed in your vagina, whether it has spread to your lymph nodes, and whether it has spread to other parts of your body. These three categories are called T (tumor), N (nodes), and M (whether it has spread, or metastasized).

Your provider can stage your cancer by using information from the test results and by performing procedures that allow them to see inside your body.

• Imaging procedures used to stage cancer include X-rays, computerized tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. MRIs provide details about a tumor’s size. PET scans can show abnormal lymph nodes.
• Cystoscopy can show if cancer has spread to your bladder. A small lighted tube with a camera is inserted into your bladder for this procedure.
• Proctoscopy can show if cancer has spread to your small intestine or rectum. A small lighted tube with a camera is inserted into your rectum for this procedure.