Stage I squamous cell carcinoma of vagina complicating pregnancy: Successful conservative treatment

A Comprehensive Discussion in Vaginal Cancer Based on Mechanisms, Treatments, Risk Factors and Prevention

Vaginal cancer is a rare and uncommon disease that is rarely discussed. Although vaginal cancer traditionally occurs in older postmenopausal women, the incidence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced cancers is increasing in younger women. Cervical cancer cells contain high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 and E7 proteins and inhibiting HPV gene expression leads the cells to stop proliferating and enter senescence. As E6, and E7 protein promoted the carcinogenesis mechanism, and here not only regulate the cellular degradation of P53, and pRb but also enhances the cell proliferation along with E6 protein targets the p53 for breakdown and subsequently promote the apoptotic cell death, and DNA repair inhibition, that is indispensable to the continue the lifecycle of the HPV. As a synchronous or metachronous tumor, vaginal cancer is frequently found in combination with cervical cancer. It is uncertain what causes invasive female vaginal organ cancer. HPV type 16 is the most often isolated HPV type in female vaginal organ cancers. Due to cancer’s rarity, case studies have provided the majority of etiologic findings. Many findings demonstrate that ring pessaries, chronic vaginitis, sexual behavior, birth trauma, obesity, vaginal chemical exposure, and viruses are all risk factors. Because of insufficient understanding and disease findings, we are trying to find the disease’s mechanism with the available data. We also address different risk factors, therapy at various stages, diagnosis, and management of vaginal cancer in this review.

Vaginal cancer diagnosed during pregnancy presenting a therapeutic dilemma: A case report

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Vaginal cancer is very rare and generally only occurs in the elderly.

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Stage I vaginal cancer was diagnosed in a 38-year-old patient at 13 weeks of gestation after tumor removal.

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After refusing an abortion and radical surgery, the patient continued with pregnancy.

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The tumor recurred and invaded the surrounding tissue, the baby was delivered, and the patient began radiation therapy.

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The patient passed away 8 months after delivery due to deterioration.

Background

Vaginal cancer is rare, accounting for only about 2% of all cancers of the female reproductive organs, and it is a disease that is rarely encountered in routine clinical practice. Vaginal cancer is mainly treated with radiation therapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). However, in stage I-II cases, when the lesion is confined to the upper third of the vagina, surgical treatment may include total hysterectomy and vaginal resection with an adequate resection margin. We report a case of stage I vaginal cancer diagnosed at 13 weeks of gestation. There are very few reports on the diagnosis and treatment of vaginal cancer during pregnancy, and it was difficult to decide on a treatment plan; therefore, we report on the course of treatment followed for this patient.

Case presentation

The patient was a 38-year-old woman with a history of two pregnancies and zero births. The patient had thrombocytopenia and was diagnosed highly suspicious of myelodysplastic syndrome by bone marrow biopsy, and her platelet count remained at approximately 50,000/μL. At the time of the 11-week gestational checkup, a 4-cm pedunculated tumor was found in the right posterior vaginal fornix. Transvaginal tumor resection was performed at 13 weeks of gestation, and the patient was diagnosed with stage I vaginal cancer (squamous cell carcinoma). Because vaginal cancer was confined to the posterior vaginal wall fornix, radical surgery after abortion was suggested as a treatment plan. However, the patient strongly desired to continue the pregnancy, so the policy was to continue the pregnancy and follow-up. However, at 22 weeks of gestation, a recurrent tumor was found in the posterior fornix of the vagina. The lesion had invaded the paravaginal tissue, making radical surgery impossible. At 26 weeks of gestation, an elective cesarean section was performed because of giving priority to early therapeutic intervention to her recurrent vaginal cancer, and it was decided that CCRT with cisplatin would be administered from postpartum day 1. However, because of thrombocytopenia, chemotherapy could not be co-administered, and the treatment was completed with radiation alone. The therapeutic effect was partial response, but 13 weeks after the end of radiation therapy, we observed regrowth of the recurrent tumor and emergence of pelvic lymph node metastasis. The patient received palliative treatment but died 8 months after delivery due to a generally deteriorating condition, sepsis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Conclusions

In cases of malignant tumors associated with pregnancy, treatment policies should consider the perinatal prognosis at the same time as treatment for malignant tumors, and gynecologic oncologists, obstetricians, and neonatologists, from the standpoint of their respective specialties, should thoroughly discuss the “curative effect of treatment for malignant tumors” and the “prognosis of the child after birth” and consider the treatment plan for each case.

Gynecologic cancers in pregnancy: guidelines based on a third international consensus meeting

We aimed to provide comprehensive protocols and promote effective management of pregnant women with gynecological cancers. New insights and more experience have been gained since the previous guidelines were published in 2014. Members of the International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (INCIP), in collaboration with other international experts, reviewed existing literature on their respective areas of expertise. Summaries were subsequently merged into a manuscript that served as a basis for discussion during the consensus meeting. Treatment of gynecological cancers during pregnancy is attainable if management is achieved by collaboration of a multidisciplinary team of health care providers. This allows further optimization of maternal treatment, while considering fetal development and providing psychological support and long-term follow-up of the infants. Nonionizing imaging procedures are preferred diagnostic procedures, but limited ionizing imaging methods can be allowed if indispensable for treatment plans. In contrast to other cancers, standard surgery for gynecological cancers often needs to be adapted according to cancer type and gestational age. Most standard regimens of chemotherapy can be administered after 14 weeks gestational age but are not recommended beyond 35 weeks. C-section is recommended for most cervical and vulvar cancers, whereas vaginal delivery is allowed in most ovarian cancers. Breast-feeding should be avoided with ongoing chemotherapeutic, endocrine or targeted treatment. More studies that focus on the long-term toxic effects of gynecologic cancer treatments are needed to provide a full understanding of their fetal impact. In particular, data on targeted therapies that are becoming standard of care in certain gynecological malignancies is still limited. Furthermore, more studies aimed at the definition of the exact prognosis of patients after antenatal cancer treatment are warranted. Participation in existing registries (www.cancerinpregnancy.org) and the creation of national tumor boards with multidisciplinary teams of care providers (supplementary Box S1, available at Annals of Oncology online) is encouraged.