What’s New in Vaginal Cancer Research?

Because vaginal cancer is rare, it's has been hard to study. Most experts agree that treatment in a clinical trial should be considered for any type or stage of vaginal cancer. This way women can get the best treatment available now and may also get the treatments that are thought to be even better. Many of the new and promising treatments discussed here are only available in clinical trials.

Immunotherapy

Treatments used for vaginal cancer include immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors. So far, they are generally only given (with or without chemo) to patients with metastatic or recurrent disease. Research continues to see if immunotherapy would work better with different combinations of chemo, or if it can be given for earlier-stage disease.

Targeted therapy

Current targeted therapy for vaginal cancer finds and destroys cancer cells with specific RET and NTRK mutations. Scientists are studying how other gene mutations found in vaginal cancer cells can be targeted by specific drugs. Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, which control cell growth, also are being studied.

Radiation therapy

Studies are underway to determine the best way to use external beam therapy and brachytherapy to treat vaginal cancer and limit damage to normal tissue. Doctors are also looking for ways to use more focused radiation with other treatments, like immunotherapy, to treat advanced vaginal cancers.

 

Reconstructive surgery

Surgeons are looking for new and better ways to repair or rebuild the vagina after radical surgery.

Chemotherapy

Many clinical trials are looking for better chemo drugs to treat vaginal cancer. Research is looking to find which specific combinations of chemo drugs produce the best treatment results.

Improving side effects of vaginal cancer treatment

Researchers are looking for ways to prevent and better treat vaginal side effects such as stiffness and tightness from radiation treatment.

Removing lymph nodes near the cancer can lead to a life-long problem of swelling in the legs called lymphedema. Studies are being done to see if sentinel lymph node mapping (a process to identify the first lymph node that vaginal cancer often spreads to) might be helpful in preventing this side effect in women with vaginal cancer.