Vulvar Cancer: The Basics

The vulva is the outside part of a woman’s sex organs. The vulva is made up of the labia, clitoris, mons pubis, the opening of the vagina (vestibule), and the perineum. Vulvar cancer is cancer that starts in the vulva. It is caused by vulvar cells growing out of control. As the number of cells grows, they form a tumor.

Vulvar cancer that has spread from the vulva to another part of the body is called metastatic cancer.

Risks

Some risks are:

• Having gone through menopause.
• HPV infection.
• Smoking.
• HIV.
• Having had another gynecologic cancer or melanoma in the past.

Signs of Vulvar Cancer

The signs can be:

• Itching.
• Pain with sex.
• Bleeding and/or discharge from your vagina.
• Lesions or new skin growths.

Diagnosis of Vulvar Cancer

If your healthcare providers think you may have vulvar cancer, they will order tests. Some of the tests are:

• Colposcopy and vulvoscopy.
• Pap test.

These tests need to done, but a biopsy is the only way to know for sure if you have cancer. A biopsy uses tissue taken during the colposcopy or vulvoscopy. A biopsy:

• Looks at a piece of the vulva for cancer cells.
• Is used to find out the cancer type, how normal it is [grade], and if it has spread.
• May look at samples from lymph nodes to check for cancer.

A pathology report goes over these results and is sent to your healthcare provider, often 5-10 days after the colposcopy or vulvoscopy. This report helps plan your treatment. You can ask for a copy of your report for your records.

Staging Vulvar Cancer

To guide treatment, vulvar cancer is "staged." This stage is based on:

• Size and where the tumor is.
• If there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes.
• If there are cancer cells in other parts of the body.

Stages go from stage I (one, smallest and most confined tumors) to stage IV (four, tumors that have spread to other parts of the body, also called metastatic cancer). The stage and type of vulvar cancer will guide your treatment plan.

Treatment

Often, these treatments are used:

• Surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible.
• Radiation, which is the use of high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells.
• Chemotherapy, which is the use of medications to kill cancer cells.

This article is a basic guide to vulvar cancer. You can learn more about your type of vulvar cancer and treatment by using the links below.

Vulvar Cancer: Staging and Treatment

Surgical Treatments: Vulvectomy