Malignant melanoma of the vulva: a review

Vulvar melanoma is an unusual tumor with a poor prognosis. Most surgeons have abandoned radical vulvectomy as the treatment of choice. The role of elective node dissection is controversial. Currently effective adjuvant therapy is lacking. In this paper 51 sources concerning melanoma and/or melanoma of the vulva were reviewed, 43 of these sources were considered to be pertinent and current enough to include in this review. The objective was to describe current knowledge about the natural history, staging, pathology, and treatment of melanoma of the vulva. It has been found that melanoma continues to be difficult to treat when in advanced stages. Microstaging systems offer clinicians the best prognostic information. In many patients, less radical surgical treatment offers equal cure rates with decreased morbidity.