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Can Vaginal Cancer Be Found Early?

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Sometimes vaginal cancer can be found early, when it's small and hasn't spread. It can cause symptoms that lead women to seek medical attention. But many vaginal cancers don't cause symptoms until they've grown and spread.

Pre-cancerous areas of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) don't usually cause any symptoms.

Still, routine ob-gyn exams and cervical cancer screening can sometimes find cases of VAIN and early invasive vaginal cancer.

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team

Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

American Society of Clinical Oncology. Vaginal Cancer: Risk Factors and Prevention. 08/2017. Accessed at www.cancer.net/cancer-types/vaginal-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention on March 7, 2018.  

Last Revised: March 19, 2018

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