Vaginal Cancer Causes & Risk Factors

Conditions & Diseases: Cancer

Vaginal Cancer

Causes and Risk Factors

The exact causes of vaginal cancer are not known yet. However, scientists were able to establish a specific connections between the disease and certain risks.

These risk factors include:

Age: Women age 30 or younger, and those 60 and older, are at the most risk to develop vaginal cancer.

Smoking: Cigarette smoking increases the risk for vaginal cancer.

Infections with different viruses, such as:

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection: Human papillomavirus is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, and can be caused by infection with one of the 100 viruses included in the HPV group. Different HPVs causes different types of warts to develop on different areas of the body. However, certain types of HPV are associated with vaginal cancer. In order to avoid contamination with this virus, women should avoid promiscuous sexual behaviors (to limit the number of sex partners, to avoid having sexual relationships at younger ages), and to use protection (however, condoms can't prevent HPV which can still be transmitted skin to skin).
HIV infection: HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) that causes AIDS can also increase the risk for vaginal cancer.

Medical conditions, such as:

Prolapse: This is a medical condition where the uterus sags into the vagina and even extends outside the vagina because of the pelvic ligaments stretching. This condition can be treated by surgery or by wearing a pessary (a medical device that keeps the uterus in place). However, certain studies suggest that a long term irritation caused by the pessary may slightly increase the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, but these studies are inconclusive.
Vaginal adenosis: This is a medical condition where the vaginal wall lining (in one or more areas) contains cells that are similar with those found in the lower uterus or upper uterine lining glands. This condition is diagnosed in 40 percent of the women that already have menstruation.
Cervical cancer: Suffering from cervical cancer or cervical pre-cancerous condition increases the risk of developing vaginal cancer.

Prior Medical Treatments

Diethylstilbestrol (DES): This is a drug prescribed between 1940 and 1971 for women that suffered miscarriages. About 1 in 1,000 women whose mothers were treated with this drug had developed clear cell carcinoma of the vagina or cervix. However, this risk seems to be higher in those women whose mothers took the drug during their first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Radiotherapy: Women that undergo radion therapy in the past for other types of gynecological cancer are at risk of developing vaginal cancer. However, this risk is far smaller than the risk of not following the treatment for the past cancer.
Hysterectomy: Women who suffered a hysterectomy (a medical procedure where part or the entire uterus is removed) in the past are at risk of developing vaginal cancer.

Article by Alina Morrow, MS
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com

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Page Last Modified:
10/18/2010