Occult vaginal cancer recurrence after hysterectomy: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Vaginal cancer is a rare disease of the lower genital tract. We present the case of a 54-year-old woman with occult vaginal cancer after hysterectomy for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) III. Despite persistently negative cytology and colposcopy results, a lesion was finally detected by vagino-recto-abdominal examination and she underwent radical parametrectomy and lymph node dissection. We consider the possibility that transabdominal suturing of the vaginal cuff after hysterectomy may reduce the ability to detect subsequent vaginal lesions, and discuss the benefits of a vaginal suture approach. We recommend that suturing the vagina apex transvaginally instead of transabdominally would benefit patients during follow-up.