Malignant potential of gigantic condylomatous lesions of the vulva

A diagnostic and therapeutic approach in the identification of malignant lesions and the types of HPV in 11 patients with gigantic condylomatous vulvar protuberances is presented. Different histological types of squamous cell vulvar carcinoma have been found in 8 (72.7%) cases: condylomatous (4), verrucous (3) and basaloid type of the carcinoma (1). HPV type 16, confirmed in 5 cases, was most often present (4 condylomatous and 1 basaloid carcinoma types). Other types of HPV such as HPV-6 was detected in 3 cases of verrucous, type 11 in 2 cases of verrucous and condylomatous carcinoma and type 18 in 1 case of condylomatous carcinoma. Radical vulvectomy followed by bilateral inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy was performed in 4 patients with condylomatous carcinoma, hemivulvectomy in basaloid carcinoma whereas wide local excision was performed in the verrucous type of carcinoma. No patient died except 1 with condylomatous carcinoma in whom 6 positive lymph nodes were detected after the primary operation. The patient died 4 years later following 3 excisions of local recurrences.