Predictors and Patterns of Recurrence in Vulvar Cancer

To identify prognostic factors predicting recurrence in vulvar cancer patients undergoing surgery.

We retrospectively evaluated data from consecutive patients with vulvar cancer treated between 2002 and 2024 in 2 Italian centers. Basic descriptive statistics and multivariable analysis were used to create predictive models for patient outcomes. Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model.

The study included 283 patients diagnosed with vulvar cancer (239 with squamous cell carcinoma). The most frequent stages were stage I (50.9%) and stage III (30.4%). After a median follow-up of 27 months, 91 (32.2%) recurrences were observed, of which 20% were local, 6% were regional, and 6% were distant. The five-year DFS and OS were 46% and 60%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified the presence of positive lymph nodes (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-12.08), age (HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1-1.04), FIGO stage II (HR: 3.12, 95% CI: 1.24-7.87), and FIGO stage IV (HR: 3.85, 95% CI: 1.19-12.43) as factors associated with worse DFS. Positive nodes (HR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.2-5.8) and tumor diameter >4 cm (HR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.05-3.42) were associated with OS. FIGO stage >I was predictive of regional and distant recurrences, but no factor was found to correlate with local recurrence.

FIGO stage >I was predictive of regional and distant recurrences, while no factors influencing local recurrence were identified. Positive nodes, age, and FIGO stage >I correlated with DFS, whereas tumor diameter >4 cm and positive nodes influenced OS.