Vulvar cancer--what do we know about our patients?

Area of Science:

• Gynecologic Oncology
• Cancer Epidemiology
• Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

• Vulvar cancer is a rare malignancy with limited local data available in Singapore.
• This study addresses the lack of local reports on vulvar cancer patient profiles, management, and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the characteristics of patients diagnosed with vulvar cancer in Singapore.
• To evaluate the management strategies and treatment outcomes for vulvar cancer.
• To identify factors influencing survival in vulvar cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study analyzing 35 cases of vulvar cancer treated between 1981 and 1998.
• Review of patient case records at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
• Kaplan-Meier method used for survival analysis.

Main Results:

• The median age at diagnosis was 74 years, with 88% of patients being Chinese.
• The most common symptom was an ulcer or lump (83.8%), and squamous cell carcinoma was the predominant histology (80.0%).
• Overall five-year survival was 75.9%, with significantly higher survival for early-stage (90.0% for Stage 1&2) versus late-stage disease (26.0% for Stage 3&4).

Conclusions:

• Vulvar cancer management is best centralized in a tertiary care setting due to its rarity.
• Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are critical for improving patient survival.
• Lymph node surgery, while necessary, is associated with longer operative times and increased wound breakdown risk.