Invasive vulvar cancer in a woman with human immunodeficiency virus: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Background: : HIV is associated with a decrease in cellular immunity which allows for persistence of high-risk HPV types and this can predispose the woman to dysplasia or cancer of the gynecologic tract.

Case: : We present a case of Stage 3 vulvar cancer in a 33-year-old HIV positive woman. The patient was treated with primary radiation; unfortunately there was persistent disease. Exenterative surgery was planned but abandoned due to a positive presacral node.

Conclusion: : The optimal treatment of advanced vulvar cancer in HIV positive patients remains unclear given the small number of cases reported in the literature. Lessons from the anal cancer literature may help inform the care of vulvar cancer patients given the comparable high prevalence of this disease in the patients infected with HIV.