Hi doctor, I have gotten my HPV shot. I do not smoke. I am a virgin and practice good genital hygiene. But, my vaginal area is very sensitive to soap, and it feels a little bumpy. But, I am not showing any signs of vaginal cancer like pelvic pain or unusual bleeding. Could it be due to some soap allergy? How common is it for a person, who is 21 years old, to have vaginal cancer?
Hi. Please do not think of such rare conditions for small symptoms. May I give you a few information about cancer of the vagina. Basically cancer or dysplasia has a genetic background. In the case of a few cancers like cervical and vaginal cancers, it is due to HPV infections (human papilloma virus). Also, in oral or lung where smoking is a cause due to repeated injury by the tar. A common thing to note is, be it infection or tar; it causes repeated damage to the healthy tissue. This injury heals before it heals the next injury come and so it goes on till the healing is replaced by cells which are abnormal, which takes many years. Once these abnormal cells come on, they keep dividing into abnormal cells. After many years, these cells dominate to form cancer. Now in female genital cancer, the commonest is uterine, next ovarian, next cervical, then fallopian tubes and the rarest is vaginal. Since it is due to HPV infection, it is seen in those with sex exposure at a young age with compounding sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, multiple sex partners or repeated injury to the vagina. The best part is it has no symptoms. The cases will present with a lot of foul smelling brownish or bloody discharge usually around 50s to 60s as cancer cells take so many years to reach such a stage to be detected. From your history, I do not see even a single risk factor other than that you have a vagina. For further information consult an obstetrician and gynaecologist online -->