How cancer of the vagina is treated Treatments are available for all patients with cancer of the vagina. Surgery is the most common treatment of all stages of cancer of the vagina. Wide local excision takes out the cancer and some of the tissue around it. A patient may need skin grafts and plastic surgery to make an artificial vagina after these operations. Radiation may be used alone or after surgery.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in a vein. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drugs enter the bloodstream, travel through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the vagina. In treating vaginal cancer, chemotherapy may also be put directly into the vagina itself, which is called intravaginal chemotherapy. Treatment by stage Treatment of cancer of the vagina depends on the stage of the disease, the type of disease, and the patient's age and overall condition. Standard treatment may be considered because of its effectiveness in patients in past studies, or participation in a clinical trial may be considered.