Vaginal Cancer

When cancer starts in the vagina, it is called vaginal cancer. The vagina, also called the birth canal, is the hollow, tube-like channel between the bottom of the uterus and the outside of the body.

Vaginal cancer is very rare. Early on, most vaginal cancers do not cause signs and symptoms. But if there are symptoms, they may include:

• Vaginal discharge or bleeding that is not normal for you. The bleeding may be abnormal because of how heavy it is, or when it happens, such as bleeding after you have gone through menopause; bleeding between periods; or any other bleeding that is longer or heavier than is normal for you.
• A change in bathroom habits, such as having blood in the stool or urine, going to the bathroom more often than usual, or feeling constipated.
• Pain in your pelvis, the area below your stomach and in between your hip bones, especially when you pass urine or have sex.