Vaginal Cancer (cont.)
What is the treatment for vaginal cancer?
There are different types of treatment for patients with vaginal cancer.
Different types of treatments are available for patients with vaginal cancer.
Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being
tested in clinical trials. Before starting treatment, patients may want to think
about taking part in a clinical trial. A treatment clinical trial is a research
study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new
treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new
treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become
the standard treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information
about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site. Choosing the
most appropriate cancer treatment is a decision that ideally involves the
patient, family, and health care team.
Three types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery
Surgery is the most common treatment of vaginal cancer. The following
surgical procedures may be used:
- Laser surgery: A surgical procedure that uses a laser beam (a narrow beam
of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove a
surface lesion such as a tumor.
- Wide local excision: A surgical procedure that
takes out the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it.
- Vaginectomy:
Surgery to remove all or part of the vagina.
- Total hysterectomy: Surgery to
remove the uterus, including the cervix. If the uterus and cervix are taken out
through the vagina, the operation is called a vaginal hysterectomy. If the
uterus and cervix are taken out through a large incision (cut) in the abdomen,
the operation is called a total abdominal hysterectomy. If the uterus and cervix
are taken out through a small incision in the abdomen using a laparoscope, the
operation is called a total laparoscopic hysterectomy.
- Lymphadenectomy: A
surgical procedure in which lymph nodes are removed and checked under a
microscope for signs of cancer. This procedure is also called lymph node
dissection. If the cancer is in the upper vagina, the pelvic lymph nodes may be
removed. If the cancer is in the lower vagina, lymph nodes in the groin may be
removed.
- Pelvic exenteration: Surgery to remove the lower colon, rectum, and
bladder. In women, the cervix, vagina, ovaries, and nearby lymph nodes are also
removed. Artificial openings (stoma) are made for urine and stool to flow from
the body into a collection bag.
Skin grafting may follow surgery, to repair or reconstruct the vagina. Skin
grafting is a surgical procedure in which skin is moved from one part of the
body to another. A piece of healthy skin is taken from a part of the body that
is usually hidden, such as the buttock or thigh, and used to repair or rebuild
the area treated with surgery.
Even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the
surgery, some patients may be given radiation therapy after surgery to kill any
cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to increase the
chances of a cure, is called adjuvant therapy.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other
types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two
types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside
the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a
radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are
placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given
depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of
cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.
When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs
enter the bloodstream and can affect cancer cells throughout the body (systemic
chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an
organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer
cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given
depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Topical chemotherapy for squamous cell vaginal cancer may be applied to the
vagina in a cream or lotion.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials. These include the
following:
Radiosensitizers
Radiosensitizers are drugs that make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation
therapy. Combining radiation therapy with radiosensitizers may kill more tumor
cells.
This summary section refers to specific treatments under study in clinical
trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information
about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Next: Treatment options by stage »
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