Vaginal vault carcinoma as second primary in a treated case of ovarian cancer

Abstract

With the advances in the treatment of cancer, the chances of survival have increased today. The five-year relative survival rate is about 66%. With the increasing survival rate, it is important to identify the late effects of cancer and its therapy. One of the most serious events experienced by cancer survivors is the diagnosis of a new cancer. Case: A 32-year-old unmarried female diagnosed as ovarian cancer in the year 2010. She was treated with three cycles of chemotherapy followed by surgery. Histopathology was well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. She received three more cycles of chemotherapy after surgery. She was under follow-up and developed vaginal vault carcinoma after a disease-free interval of 2 years. The biopsy was suggestive of squamous cell carcinoma. She was treated with radiation for vaginal cancer successfully. This case indicates that female gynecological cancers with different histology may occur in minimum period of interval even in the absence of any predisposing factors like human papilloma virus infection.