The National Cancer Data Base report on cancer of the vagina.

BACKGROUND

This study was conducted to determine practice patterns in the management of vaginal malignancy.

METHODS

The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a large central registry of hospital case data, was reviewed for the 10-year period 1985-1994 for patients registered with a primary diagnosis of vaginal cancer. Patients with a prior history of malignancy were excluded.

RESULTS

Between 1985-1994 4885 cases of vaginal cancer were submitted to NCDB. More than 90% were epithelial neoplasia with approximately 25% of these in situ lesions only. Squamous carcinoma was more common as the age of the patient progressed. Adenocarcinomas represented nearly all the carcinomas in the group of patients age < 20 years and were observed less frequently with advanced age. Relative survival at 5 years was stage-related: Stage 0: 96%; Stage I: 73%; Stage II: 58%; and Stages III-IV: 36%. Melanoma had an extremely poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of only 14%. A significant number of sarcomas occurred in children for whom chemotherapy played a major role in treatment. Chemotherapy was used less frequently in the older patients. Survival was better in the younger patients (90% vs. 30% in the older patients).

CONCLUSIONS

Although vaginal cancer is the rarest of genital malignancies, it appears that treatment and results from the NCDB reported from multiple institutions followed prescribed treatment guidelines.