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The principal prognostic factors in cancer of the vulva are the presence or absence of regional lymph node metastases, size and location of the lesion, and the histologic type.

A 5-year survival rate of…

Operative Morbidity & Mortality

The most frequently encountered complication is wound breakdown, which occurs in well over 50% of patients undergoing radical vulvectomy and bilateral inguinal dissection. This complication is related…

Melanoma is the most frequent nonsquamous cell malignancy of the vulva and comprises approximately 5% of primary carcinomas of the vulva. Approximately 400 cases of melanoma of the vulva have been reported, with…

Large tumors of the vulva encroaching on the anorectal area and the urethra require more extensive treatment than a radical vulvectomy. In addition to a radical vulvectomy, it is…

VULVAR ATYPIAS 
There has been a lack of uniformity in defining vulvar atypias. There are minimal data to support vulvar dystrophies being a cause of cancer. The International…

Verrucous carcinoma of the vulva is a variant of epidermoid carcinoma. Clinically, it appears as large, condylomatous lesions. They are locally aggressive, nonmetastatic, fungating tumors that gradually increase in size, pushing into…

Primary carcinoma of Bartholin’s gland accounts for 5% of all vulvar cancers, and over 200 cases have been reported. Only approximately 50% of those tumors are nonepidermoid in nature. Bartholin gland carcinomas can be…

INVASIVE VULVAR CARCINOMAS
  The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has defined four clinical stages of vulvar carcinoma. In addition, many centers use the tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) classification. In 1988,…

Paget’s disease is a rare intraepithelial disorder of the vulvar skin that is seen in postmenopausal women. Unlike VIN, the intraepithelial neoplastic cells are glandular rather than squamous. The lesion primarily occurs in whites of…

Vulvar cancer accounts for about 4% of cancers in the female reproductive organs and 0.6% of all cancers in women. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2005, about 3,870 cancers of the…

General Considerations
Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) can occur as an isolated lesion, but multifocal disease is more common. Although little is known regarding the natural history of VAIN, it is thought…

Malignant melanomas of the vagina are rare; they constitute fewer than 1% of all melanomas occurring in females. The age distribution of the neoplasm has ranged from 26 to 98 years, with a median age…

Endodermal sinus tumor is a rare germ cell malignancy that is usually found in the ovary. This tumor secretes alpha-fetoprotein, which often is a useful tumor marker for monitoring patients with…

Clear cell adenocarcinomas have been seen more frequently in young women since 1970 because of the association with intrauterine exposure to diethylstilbestrol. Three predominant histologic patterns are found with clear cell…

Premalignant disease of the vagina is generally detected on cytologic screening. Once an abnormal cytology is obtained, a biopsy directed by colposcopic examination is required to verify the severity of the changes. Because vaginal…

Primary vaginal cancers are rare, constituting less than 2% of all gynecologic malignancies. Carcinoma of the vagina is defined as a primary carcinoma arising in the vagina and not involving the external os…

Squamous cell carcinomas of the vagina may appear grossly as either ulcerated or fungating tumors, or they may be exophytic and protrude through the vaginal canal. They are the most common vaginal…

Exposing estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells to extracts of channel catfish caught in areas with heavy sewer and industrial waste causes the cells to multiply,…

A novel compound that blocks the breakdown of retinoic acid, derived from vitamin A, is a surprisingly effective and “promiscuous” agent in treating animal models of human…

No need to put off colon cancer screening anymore. Radiologists at the University of Cincinnati are now offering the virtual test, which a new study shows is just as good at detecting…

Researchers have identified a molecule that may be more accurate than existing biological signposts used to predict which breast cancers will develop into advanced forms of the…

For older women on dialysis, routine mammograms to screen for breast cancer may not be a cost-effective use of medical resources, according to a paper…

A rare hereditary disorder that strongly predisposes carriers to develop cancer at an early age has been found in an Asian female, report researchers today at the…