September is Gynecologic Cancers Awareness Month

join with aacr to find better ways to prevent and treat gynecologic cancers

Gynecologic cancers are cancers of the female reproductive system, including the cervix, ovaries, uterus, vagina, and vulva. Anyone with female reproductive organs is at risk for these cancers.

According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 110,000 women in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with a gynecological cancer and more than 34,000 are estimated to die from one in 2026. Each gynecological cancer has different signs and symptoms, as well as different risk factors. As with most cancer, the risk of developing a gynecologic cancer increases with age. 

The major categories of gynecologic cancers 

Cervical Cancer

According to the World Health Organization, infection of the cervix (the lower, narrow part of the uterus) with human papillomavirus (HPV) is almost always the cause of cervical cancer. Consequently, vaccination against HPV and regular screening for HPV infection are highly effective ways to prevent cervical cancer.

Ovarian Cancer

There are three types of ovarian cancer in adults. These include ovarian epithelial cancer, which begins in the tissue covering the ovary, in the lining of the fallopian tube, or in the peritoneum; ovarian germ cell tumors, which start in the egg cells; and ovarian borderline tumors, which begin in the tissue covering the ovary and rarely become cancerous. 

Uterine Cancer

Uterine cancer forms in the tissues of the uterus. The two types of uterine cancer are endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma. 

Endometrial cancer forms in the tissues of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. Obesity, diabetes, and certain genetic conditions may increase the risk of endometrial cancer. Uterine sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that forms in the uterine muscles or in tissues that support the uterus. Exposure to radiation therapy near the pelvis can increase the risk of uterine sarcoma.   

Treatment with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen is a risk factor for both types of uterine cancer.

Vaginal Cancer

There are two main types of vaginal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma, which forms from cells that line the inside of the vagina, and adenocarcinoma, which forms in the glands that secrete mucus. Squamous cell carcinoma is more common and typically spreads slowly, but adenocarcinoma is more likely to spread to the lungs and lymph nodes.

Risk factors for vaginal cancer include infection with HPV and having had a hysterectomy for benign or cancerous tumors. A rare type of adenocarcinoma is linked to being exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) before birth. Adenocarcinomas that aren’t linked with DES exposure are most common in women after menopause.

Vulvar Cancer

Vulvar cancer forms in a woman’s external genitalia, most often the outer vaginal lips.

A precancerous condition called vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) occurs when abnormal cells grow in the skin of the vulva. VIN can be a precursor to vulvar cancer, but proper treatment may help prevent VIN from worsening.

Risk factors for vulvar cancer include having VIN, HPV infection, and/or having a history of genital warts.

GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS SURVIVOR Stories

When Margie Wilson’s gynecologist recommended she see an oncologist, she wasn’t even aware what oncologists treat. Diagnosed with endometrial cancer, Wilson had surgery that removed her uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and some lymph nodes, followed by radiation and chemotherapy to reduce the risk of recurrence. Now she offers support to other Black women with endometrial cancer to help educate them about their treatment options as well as the lower survival rates for Black women with this cancer type compared to white women. Read more about her story on Cancer Today.

Mary Catherine Riley was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019. She went into complete remission after six rounds of chemotherapy. When the cancer came back in 2023, her doctor recommended a clinical trial for two targeted drugs that later became known as avutometinib and defactinib. Within a year, Mary had a complete response. In May 2025, when the drugs received FDA approval as a combination called Avmapki Fakzynja Co-pack, she transitioned to receiving the medications through a pharmacy and today, she has no evidence of disease. Her story was featured in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2025. 

More On Gynecologic Cancers 

  • In January 2026, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRAS) updated cervical cancer screening guidelines. Learn more details in this post on Cancer Research Catalyst, the AACR’s official blog.
  • The relationship among chronic stress, depression, and disease progression in patients with ovarian cancer was discussed during two AACR conferences in 2025. Research on this topic was reviewed in a Cancer Research Catalyst article.
  • Another post on Cancer Research Catalyst reviewed advances in early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer, including the avutometinib and defactinib combination.
  • Over the past few decades, evidence has been accumulating that ovarian epithelial cancer may not start in the ovaries, but in the fimbriae at the far end of the fallopian tubes. In AACR’s Cancer Today magazine, editor-in-chief William G. Nelson, MD, PhD, DSc, FAACR, explained how women at high risk of ovarian cancer may elect to have their fallopian tubes and ovaries surgically removed, but two clinical trials, TUBA-WISP II and SOROCk, are testing whether women can lower their odds of ovarian cancer by just having their fallopian tubes removed, which would avoid the start of immediate menopause.

How AACR Supports Research on Gynecologic Cancers 

Sponsoring Scientific Conferences 

  • In 2025, the AACR held the 7th Biennial Special Conference on Ovarian Cancer,  in which researchers and clinicians discussed advances in early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer as well as issues related to survivorship.

Supporting Research Grants

The AACR recently awarded research grants to investigators pursuing promising research related to gynecologic cancers:

  • In 2026, Dan-Avi Landau, MD, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, and Peter Sorger, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, both received Mark Foundation-AACR-Lustgarten Foundation Early Detection Awards. These awards were established to accelerate advances in early detection for some of the world’s deadliest cancers, including ovarian cancer. Landau will explore how to solve the early detection challenge in ovarian cancer through liquid biopsy, while Sorger’s work involves the molecular profiling of ovarian cancer precursors.
  • In 2026, Carla Chibwesha, MD, of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was awarded an AACR Trailblazer Research Grant for Mid-Career Investigator in support of her work on improving cervical precancer treatment outcomes in women with HIV. 
  • In 2025, Melanie R. Rutkowski, PhD, of the University of Virginia, and Cecil Han, PhD, of Georgetown University, both received Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Rising Innovator Grants, in Partnership with Pelotonia and AACR. Rutkowski is investigating why ovarian cancer resists immunotherapy and strategies to overcome this resistance. Han’s research is also exploring treatment resistance, but is focusing on targeting the signaling that lets high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma cells change their identity to survive treatment. 
  • In 2025, Anke Nijhuis, PhD, of the Imperial College London, and Heather Whitney, MS, PhD, of the University of Chicago, received Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Awards, in Partnership with Pelotonia and AACR. Nijhuis is studying targeting RNA splicing—the process by which cells edit genetic instructions before using them—to improve therapies for ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma. Whitney is exploring using artificial intelligence to improve image-based tools for ovarian cancer detection and diagnosis.  
  • In 2025, Farhia Kabeer, PhD, of the University of British Columbia, received an AACR-AstraZeneca Endometrial Cancer Research Fellowship for her research into novel therapies for immunotherapy-resistant endometrial cancer.

For more information about cervical cancer, uterine cancer (endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma), vaginal cancer, and vulvar cancer please see our individual pages for each cancer type.