Patient's question:
Recently, the hard lump of the external genitalia has rapidly increased in size and become swollen and painful, with redness on the surface.Doctor's answer:
The symptoms of vaginal adenocarcinoma are often not apparent in the early stages and are frequently misdiagnosed as vaginal adenitis. If a postmenopausal woman presents with vaginal gland enlargement, it is essential to first rule out malignancy. The most common symptoms of vaginal adenocarcinoma are vaginal pain and swelling, with hard nodules. In advanced stages, the vaginal gland mass may rupture, forming ulcers, and if infected, it may lead to abscesses, discharge, or bleeding. The cancer may invade surrounding tissues, affecting the vaginal rectal septum or perineum, causing pain and swelling in the vagina or perineum. During physical examination, swelling can be observed in the lower third of the labia, with a deep, hard, nodular mass palpable beneath the intact skin surface. As the tumor progresses, the mass may rupture and become infected, infiltrating the vagina or perineum, and inguinal lymph nodes may enlarge due to cancer metastasis. It is extremely rare for bilateral primary vaginal adenocarcinoma to occur simultaneously.