ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Primary carcinoma of the vagina (PCV) is a rare cancer that develops when malignant cells are formed in the vagina. The main risk factors are gynecological, reproductive, environmental, and age. Approximately 65%–95% of vaginal cancers are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which forms in the tissues lining the vagina. As PCV is rare, little is known about its etiology, symptoms, prognostic factors, or biological markers, and it is often detected at advanced stages. In recent years, a few studies have investigated gene and protein expression in PCV. The most recent genomic studies reported that PCV has a highly aneuploid distribution of nuclear DNA and that aggressive tumors have high proliferative activity. Proteomic studies have identied alterations and interactions of several proteins from different pathways. For example, the expression levels of some biological markers are related to tumor location, which might indicate different origins of the disease, but none of these markers can explain the variations in survival. Biological markers may also be used to diagnose vaginal cancer that has spread within the vagina and metastasized to other parts of the body or to determine whether a particular treatment is effective. This chapter focuses on recent developments in the early detection of noninvasive and invasive biomarkers related to vaginal cancer.
