Teen Develops Rare Vaginal Cancer Typically Found In Older Women
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2025 — Liliana “Lili” Casteneda had what she thought was her first period at the age of 14, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But then her monthly bleeding turned into daily bleeding, and the bleeding got so bad Casteneda soaked through pads in 15 minutes and became dizzy when standing up.
Her local doctor told her it was just stress from the pandemic, but Casteneda insisted something was wrong, and it was.
It turned out Casteneda had a rare vaginal cancer called clear cell carcinoma. Thanks to her insistence, she was diagnosed a month before her 15th birthday.
In this condition, the cancer cells look clear when viewed under a microscope. It typically occurs in women after menopause, said Casteneda’s physician, Dr. Dario Roque.
“In my 15 years of practicing medicine, Liliana is the youngest patient I’ve treated for clear cell carcinoma – most of my patients are in their 60s,” Roque, a gynecologic oncologist at the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said in a news release.
Doctors treated Casteneda with a combination of external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy, another type of radiation therapy that uses a radioactive implant placed inside the body to directly attack tumors.
“Liliana’s tumor was about the size of a golf ball,” Dr. Jonathan Strauss, a radiation oncologist at Lurie Cancer Center, said in a news release.
“At the time of her diagnosis, the tumor was too large for us to surgically remove it, so we had to use external and internal radiation therapies to help shrink it,” Strauss said. “It took a lot of radiation to get rid of her tumor, along with chemotherapy.”
These sorts of cancer treatments can affect a woman’s ability to have children. But Casteneda was born with Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes infertility, so doctors could attack the cancer full-force without delay.
Casteneda was officially declared cancer-free in March 2021. Inspired by her health care team, Casteneda — now 19 — is taking college nursing classes.
“I can’t wait to become a nurse and help other kids navigate their medical journey,” she said.
Doctors are impressed with her drive.
“We knew Liliana was going to do great things no matter what, but when she told us she wanted to go to nursing school, the entire Northwestern Medicine team that took care of her was very touched,” Strauss said.
Casteneda also urges women to talk to a doctor if they’re experiencing abnormal bleeding or bleeding between periods or after menopause. These, along with pain or urinary symptoms, are the first signs of clear cell carcinoma of the vagina.
“If you feel like something is wrong, don’t hesitate and get it checked out,” she said.
Sources
- Northwestern Medicine, news release, Sept. 17, 2024
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Kroger and AquaStar Recall 85,000+ Bags of Shrimp Over Radiation Risk
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2025 — More than 85,000 bags of frozen shrimp sold under Kroger and AquaStar brands have been recalled because of possible contamination with cesium-137...
10-Year-Old Boy Donates Stem Cells To Father Fighting Cancer
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2025 — A Los Angeles-area dad is surviving leukemia thanks to his 10-year-old son, who earlier this year became the youngest-ever stem cell donor at...
USDA Ends Annual Reports Tracking Hunger in America
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2025 — For 30 years, Americans have relied on a yearly government report to understand how many families go without enough food. That report is now...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.