Vulvar cancer in the north of Israel

This is a population study of patients who were treated for vulvar cancer in a tertiary center in northern Israel, aimed to report clinical findings, treatment, and outcome.

A retrospective chart review of all medical records of consecutive patients who were treated for vulvar cancer in the years 1993-2012 was conducted. Data extracted from the medical records included demographics, histology, size of lesion, stage of disease at diagnosis, type of treatment, radiation dose, follow-up, recurrence, and survival.

The study included 44 patients with a median age of 69.8 years (range, 42-93 years). Thirty-five (79.5%) of the patients were of Jewish descent, five were Arabic, and four were of other descent. The most common histology type was squamous cell carcinoma in 35 (79.5%) patients. Most patients were staged FIGO II-III at time of diagnosis. Surgery was the most common primary treatment modality (54.2%). Twenty-three (52.2%) patients had recurrent disease. Older age and more advanced stage at diagnosis were associated with increased mortality.

Vulvar cancer is common among elderly women with co-morbidities who present in advanced disease stage; all these factors are significant for survival.