Vaginal cancer - Diagnosing vaginal cancer

Before diagnosing vaginal cancer, your GP will ask you about your symptoms and the pattern of your vaginal bleeding. They may refer you for blood tests to rule out other causes of vaginal bleeding, such as infection.

Referral to a gynaecologist

If your GP cannot find an obvious cause of your symptoms, they will probably refer you to a gynaecologist for further testing. A gynaecologist is a specialist in treating conditions of the female reproductive system.

If your GP refers you urgently because they think you have cancer, you have the right to be seen by a specialist within two weeks. Read more about NHS waiting times for treatment.

If you are referred to a gynaecologist, further tests could include:

an internal vaginal examination to look for any unusual lumps or swellings
a colposcopy – this is an examination where a special instrument (colposcope) that acts like a magnifying glass is used to study your vagina in greater detail

Read more about colposcopies, including how they are performed and what the results mean.

If testing reveals that there may be abnormal tissue inside your vagina, a small sample of the tissue will be removed and checked under a microscope for cancerous cells. This is known as a biopsy.

Further testing

If the results of the biopsy suggest that you have cancer and there is a risk that the cancer may have spread, you will probably require further testing to assess how widespread the cancer is.

These tests may include:

Follow the links to find out more about these procedures.

Staging

Healthcare professionals use a staging system to describe how far vaginal cancer has advanced.

stage 1: the cancer is contained inside the vagina
stage 2: the cancer is beginning to spread through the walls of the vagina towards the pelvis
stage 3: the cancer has spread into your pelvis and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes
stage 4a: the cancer has spread beyond your vagina and into organs such as your bladder or back passage (rectum)
stage 4b: the cancer has spread into organs further away, such as the lungs

In stage 1 vaginal cancer, it may be possible to achieve a cure using radiotherapy alone. As well as or instead of radiotherapy, you may also have a section of your vagina removed.

In stages 2, 3 and 4a vaginal cancer, a combination of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery may be required to get rid of the cancer.

In stage 4b vaginal cancer, a cure is not usually possible. However, radiotherapy and chemotherapy can relieve the symptoms and slow down the spread of the cancer.

Read more about how vaginal cancer is treated.

Want to know more?

Macmillan: Staging and grading of vaginal cancer