Vaginal cancer is an uncommon cancer of the female reproductive system. Vaginal cancer begins when healthy cells in the vagina change and grow out of control, forming a mass called a tumor. A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor is a tumor that can grow but will not spread. There are 4 types of vaginal cancer:

Squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma can develop in the cells lining the vagina, most often in the area closest to the cervix. Squamous cell carcinoma makes up 85% to 90% of vaginal cancers. It develops slowly through the precancerous condition called vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia or VaIN, described above.

Adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinoma begins in the vaginal gland tissue. It makes up about 5% to 10% of vaginal cancers.

Clear cell adenocarcinoma. This cancer occurs in women whose mothers took the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy between the late 1940s and 1971. It is estimated that 1 woman out of 1,000 women exposed to DES will develop vaginal cancer.

Melanoma. Although it is rare, melanoma can begin in the vagina. Melanomas are usually found on skin in parts of the body commonly exposed to the sun, but it can rarely develop where there is no sun exposure. Melanomas appears as dark-colored lesions with irregular borders. Learn more about melanoma.