Causes

The exact causes of vaginal cancer are unknown, but things that may increase your risk of developing it include:

• being infected with a particularly persistent type of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which can be spread during sex
• your age – seven out of every 10 cases of vaginal cancer affect women over 60, although some rare types can affect teenage girls and women in their twenties
• a previous history of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) – abnormal cells in the vagina or cervix that can sometimes become cancerous