Vaginal tumours in childhood: a descriptive analysis from a large paediatric medical centre

Malignant tumours of the vagina are very rare in children. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyse the clinical presentation, treatment, and outcome of vaginal tumours in children treated in a single institution.

This study retrospectively analysed the clinical data of children diagnosed with vaginal malignant tumours who were admitted to the Beijing Children's Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2007 to December 2020 and followed these patients to observe their prognoses and outcomes.

During 13 years, a total of 33 children were included in this study, including 13 children with rhabdomyosarcoma and 20 children with endodermal sinus tumours. The average age at diagnosis was 20.4 months. The main clinical manifestations were vaginal bleeding and protruding masses. Of the 13 children with vaginal rhabdomyosarcoma, 12 were treated with multidrug chemotherapy combined with conservative tumour resection, and their tumours completely resolved; only one child underwent vaginectomy and hysterectomy. Twenty children with vaginal endodermal sinus received PEB chemotherapy. Among these patients, the tumour disappeared after chemotherapy in 12 children, and the remaining nodular tumour foci in 8 children were confirmed to be necrotic tissue by pathology.

Our research confirms that chemotherapy combined with conservative surgical treatment is effective for treating children with vaginal malignancies.