Cancer of the vulva and vagina

Vulvar and vaginal cancer are rare malignancies and require aggressive treatment for survival. The prospect for cure in early stage disease is excellent. The major treatment modalities for these diseases, surgery and radiation, will affect structural alteration of the genitalia, requiring physical and psychological rehabilitation over an extended period of time. Quality of life is an important focus in cancer nursing. Efforts to control symptoms or adverse effects and to enhance the psychological adjustment are important aspects of patient care. Vulvar and vaginal cancer leave obvious residual effects, and disfigurement and dysfunction will be a part of these women's lives. Husbands and partners are also affected, and adjustments of both the patient and her partner are expected to continue for years. An active position assumed by the nurse will aid the patients' adaptive responses to these devastating diseases.