Abstract

Vaginal cancer is a rare and often overlooked malignancy that occurs in the cells lining the vagina, the female reproductive organ that connects the uterus to the outside of the body. This cancer typically affects older women, and its primary cause is often linked to persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), though other risk factors such as smoking, a history of cervical cancer, and exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy have been identified. The development of vaginal cancer is a complex process, involving the transformation of normal vaginal cells into cancerous cells