Factors that affect survival in vaginal cancer: a seer analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the factors that affect survival in vaginal cancer by means of a large population-based database that had been monitored over a 42 year period (1975–2017). It was investigated which factors were most predictive in survival. This study evaluated the factors that affect survival in primary vaginal cancer as one of the rarest gynaecological cancers. Relationships were explored between survival and age and race of patient, in situ/invasive behaviour of tumour, histological type, stage, grade, surgical treatment, and year of diagnosis. Survival rate was found to be higher at younger ages and earlier stages, in in situ and squamous cell carcinomas, in the presence of previous surgery, and diagnosis from 2000 onward. It was shown that other causes were more predictive of mortality in older patients and that mortality due to other causes decreased in patients diagnosed from 2000 onward. Mortalities due to cancer were found to be lower in the patients who had underwent surgery.

At the end of this study, an estimation model was developed for 10-year survival in vaginal cancer and software was created for the model.

Impact Statement

• What is already known on this subject? Primary vaginal cancer is very rare, accounting for 2% of female genital tract malignancies. Due to its low incidence and difficulty of its final diagnosis, vaginal cancer has the least amount of data among all female genital tract malignancies. It is difficult for clinicians to estimate the survival with already limited data on vaginal cancer in the literature.

• What do the results of this study add? Survival rate was found to be higher at younger ages and earlier stages, in in situ and squamous cell carcinomas, in the presence of previous surgery, and diagnosis from 2000 onward. It was shown that other causes were more effective in mortality with older age and that mortality due to other causes decreased in patients diagnosed from 2000 onward. Mortalities due to cancer were found to be lower in the patients who had underwent surgery.

• What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? It is anticipated that such studies will contribute to the transformation of societal data collection methods into a prospective nature and lead the way for stronger survival estimation models to be developed in days to come.

Keywords:

• Vaginal cancer
• survival
• SEER database
• age
• surgery

Disclosure statement

The authors reported no conflict of interest.