Individually modified treatment of invasive squamous cell vulvar cancer: 10-year experience

In 63 patients with invasive vulvar squamous cell cancer treatment was individualized according to patient tolerance: surgery was less mutilating than conventionally, while radio and chemotherapy was given judiciously. The overall 5-year crude survival rate was 43.5%, while the most common treatment (bleomycin, electroexcision and irradiation) had a 5-year survival rate of 55.2%. The rate of complications was low, although most of the patients were of advanced age and had intercurrent diseases. Although the therapy we applied most often yielded moderately satisfactory results it would appear according to the literature that marginal tumor excision accompanied with inguinal lymph node dissection could still improve patient outcome. This strategy could also include predictive testing of sensitivity of the tumors to cytostatics.