Vaginal bleeding is a common symptom of multiple cancers, including vaginal cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. But abnormal bleeding is a common sign of multiple conditions, not just cancer. Don’t assume you have cancer if you have unusual bleeding.

Vaginal cancer cells behave as all cancer cells do. Instead of growing, multiplying and eventually dying like a normal cell, cancer cells continue to grow. The cells multiply until they form tumors. Over time, these tumors may spread to other parts of your body (metastasize) and invade healthy tissue.

Treatment for vaginal cancer depends on the type of cancer, cancer stage, and your age. Depending on your age, your treatment may also depend on whether you’d like to have children. In general, laser surgery and topical treatments are used to treat precancerous cells. Invasive vaginal cancer will often require surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. You may receive a variety of treatments.

You can’t prevent vaginal cancer, but you can reduce your risk.

• Get regular pelvic exams and Pap tests. Talk with your provider about how regularly you should be receiving routine checks from your gynecologist.
• Get the HPV vaccine. Talk to your provider about getting vaccinated against HPV. Currently, there are three FDA-approved vaccines available, Gardasil, Gardasil 9 and Cervarix.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk of all cancers, including vaginal cancer.