Screening for vaginal cancer

There is no national screening programme for vaginal cancer in the UK. This is because there isn’t a test that can pick up vaginal cancer at an early stage. 

What is cancer screening?

Screening means testing people for early stages of a disease. This is before they have any symptoms. For screening to be useful the tests:

• need to be reliable at picking up cancers
• overall must do more good than harm to people taking part
• must be something that people are willing to do

Screening tests are not perfect and have some risks. The screening programme should also be good value for money for the NHS.

Why there isn’t a screening programme for vaginal cancer in the UK?

There is no screening programme for vaginal cancer in the UK at the moment because:

• vaginal cancer is rare, so many people would have unnecessary tests

• the benefits don't outweigh the costs

Screening for cervical cancer

The NHS has a screening program for cervical cancer. The cervical screening programme aims to pick up changes early that could develop into cervical cancer if left untreated. 

It tests for a virus called human papilloma virus (HPV). High risk HPV can cause cervical cells to become abnormal. Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are linked to high risk HPV. 

Cervical screening does not screen for vaginal cancer. But when you have cervical screening, your nurse routinely examines your vagina at the same time.  

They may pick up changes in the vagina, for example thickening or ulceration. Or pre cancerous conditions such as vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN). Treatment for VAIN helps prevent vaginal cancer from developing.