Carcinoma in situ of the vagina

A review was made of 136 cases of carcinoma in situ of the vagina seen over a 30-year period, 1953 to 1982. The patients ranged in age from 17 to 77 years, with a mean age of 55 years. One hundred sixteen patients (85%) presented with an abnormal Papanicolaou smear. Colposcopically directed biopsies were used for diagnosis in 62% of the patients. The upper one third of the vagina was the most common site of disease, with 54% of patients having unifocal lesions. A previous hysterectomy had been performed in 71% of patients, 35% of whom had undergone operation for benign disease. A concomitant, subsequent, or prior neoplasm of the lower genital tract or pelvis was noted in 109 patients. Surgical intervention in the form of either wide local excision or partial or total vaginectomy was the most frequently used method of treatment. Radiotherapy, usually in the form of a vaginal mold, was the second most commonly used method of treatment, and it was used in 27 patients. Radiotherapy and more extensive surgical treatment methods gave the best results. Four patients subsequently developed invasive carcinoma of the vagina.