Get an annual pelvic exam. This is the best way to check your overall reproductive health. During this visit, you may get an HPV test to check for high-risk (cancer-causing) strains of HPV and a Pap test to check for abnormal or precancerous cells on the cervix. Pap tests are not needed if you have had a hysterectomy.
Get the HPV vaccine. This will help prevent infection with high-risk strains of HPV. HPV can cause multiple gynecologic cancers, as well as anal cancer and head and neck cancer. The HPV vaccine is available for certain adults. Ask your doctor if it is right for you.
Practice safe sex. Because HPV is a sexually transmitted virus, practicing safe sex can help prevent exposure. While condoms will not fully protect you against contracting HPV, because the virus can affect areas not covered by a condom, they do help in HPV prevention.
Quit smoking. This reduces your risk for multiple cancer types.
A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer. Although risk factors often influence the development of cancer, most do not directly cause cancer. Some people with several risk factors never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors do. Knowing your risk factors and talking about them with your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and health care choices.
The following factors may raise a person's risk of developing vaginal cancer:
Age. Squamous cell carcinoma most often occurs between the ages of 50 and 70 years old. The average age of people diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma is 67 years old, and about 80% are older than 50.
Human papillomavirus (HPV). Research shows that infection with HPV is a risk factor for vaginal cancer. Sexual activity with someone who has HPV is the most common way someone gets HPV. There are different types of HPV, called strains. Research links some HPV strains more strongly with certain types of cancers. HPV vaccines can prevent people from developing certain cancers. Learn more about HPV and cancer.
Smoking. Smoking tobacco may increase a person’s risk of developing vaginal cancer.
Vaginal Cancer TestCervical cancer. People who have had cervical cancer or a cervical precancerous condition have an increased risk of vaginal cancer.
Previous radiation therapy. People who have had radiation therapy in the vaginal area have an increased risk of vaginal cancer.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES). People whose mothers took this drug during their pregnancy between the late 1940s and 1971 have an increased risk of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina. The average age of diagnosis is 19. Because most people whose mothers who took DES are now between 50 and 70 years old, the number of cases has decreased substantially. Now, this is a rare tumor. The other long-term risks of DES exposure are not known.
The HPV vaccine Gardasil is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prevention of vaginal cancer. It is also approved to prevent vaginal precancer. Gardasil helps prevent infection from the most common types, called strains, of HPV. The vaccine is given as 2 shots spread 6 months apart for people 9 to 14 years old. For people 14 years and older, 3 shots are recommended.
Regular gynecologic examinations can help detect cancer or precancerous conditions at an early stage in people with risk factors for vaginal cancer. During a gynecologic exam, the doctor will take a family medical history and perform a general physical examination of the pelvis, during which the doctor will feel the uterus, vagina, cervix, and other reproductive organs to check for any unusual changes.
In addition, research has shown that certain actions can help prevent vaginal cancer: Delaying first sexual intercourse until the late teens or older Avoiding sexual intercourse with multiple partners Avoiding sexual intercourse with someone who has had many partners Practicing safe sex, including condom use, although condoms cannot fully protect against HPV Having regular Pap tests (see Diagnosis) to find and treat precancerous conditions
Different factors cause different types of cancer. Researchers continue to look into what factors cause vaginal cancer, including ways to prevent it. Although there is no proven way to completely prevent vaginal cancer, you may be able to lower your risk. Talk with your health care team for more information about your personal risk of cancer.
The next section in this guide is Symptoms and Signs. It explains what changes or medical problems vaginal cancer can cause. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.
The best way to reduce the risk of vaginal cancer is to avoid known risk factors and to find and treat any vaginal pre-cancers. But since many women with vaginal cancer have no known risk factors, it's not possible to completely prevent this disease.
Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is a risk factor for vaginal cancer. HPV infections occur mainly in younger women and are less common in women over 30. The reason for this is not clear.
HPV is passed from one person to another during skin-to-skin contact with an infected area of the body. HPV can be spread during sexual activity – including vaginal, anal, and oral sex – but sex doesn’t have to occur for the infection to spread. All that's needed is skin-to-skin contact with a part of the body infected with HPV. The virus can be spread through genital-to-genital contact. It’s even possible for a genital infection to spread through hand-to-genital contact.
