Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 1;47(2):174-183.
doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000002584.

Cancer of the Vulva: A Review

Basia M Michalski  1 , John D Pfeifer  2 , David Mutch  3 , M Laurin Council  1
Affiliations

Cancer of the Vulva: A Review

Basia M Michalski et al. Dermatol Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Vulvar cancers, although rare, are becoming an increasingly serious threat to women's health. Cancer of the vulva accounted for 0.3% of all new cancers in the United States in 2019, with 6,070 newly diagnosed cases. This review details the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of vulvar malignancies.

Objective: To review cancer entities of the vulva, including vulvar intraepithelial neoplasms, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, and adenocarcinomas.

Materials and methods: Literature review using PubMed search for articles related to cancer of the vulva.

Results: Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasms represent premalignant precursors to SCC of the vulva. There are several different histopathologic subtypes of SCC, and treatment is dependent on characteristics of primary tumor and lymph node involvement. Melanoma is the second most common cancer to affect the vulva, and staging is based on tumor, node, and metastatic spread.

Conclusion: Vulvar malignancies are rare, and diagnosis is dependent on biopsy and pathologic evaluation. Treatment for vulvar malignancies depends on histopathologic diagnosis but ranges from wide local excision with or without lymph node biopsy or dissection to radiation therapy with chemo- or immunotherapy. Overall survival varies by diagnosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin 2019;69:7–34.
    1. SEER Cancer Statistics Factsheets: Vulvar Cancer Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Available at: https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/vulva.html . Accessed November 14, 2019.
    1. Cohen Sacher B. The normal vulva, vulvar examination, and evaluation tools. Clin Obstet Gynecol 2015;58:442–52.
    1. Cobos GA, Pomeranz MK. A general approach to the evaluation and the management of vulvar disorders. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 2017;44:321–7.
    1. Rogers LJ, Cuello MA. Cancer of the vulva. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2018;143(Suppl 2):4–13.

MeSH terms