Treatment and Survival Outcomes of Surgery for Carcinoma Vulva

Purpose To study treatment and survival outcomes of carcinoma vulva. Methods The electronic charts of 30 patients with carcinoma vulva operated between October 2010 and December 2015 were reviewed. Univariate cox-proportional hazard tests were done for potential risk factors. Survival analysis was done using Kaplan-Meier plots and the log rank test. Result The median age was 59 with a range of 27-82 years. Most common (90%) histological type was squamous cell carcinoma. Most (66.7%) patients had early stage disease, while stage III was seen in 23.3% and stage IV in 10%. Primary surgery was done in 27/30 (90%) patients while three with stage IV had surgery following neoadjuvant therapy. Complications included wound dehiscence in 6/30 (20%), lymphocysts in 11/30 (36.7%), urinary infections in 3/30 (10%) and one death within 30 days. There were 6 recurrences (20%) and 10 deaths (33.3%). Mean recurrence-free survival was 84.6 (95% CI 67.6-101.6) months. Mean overall survival time was 70 (95% CI 53.1-86.9) months. Conclusions Radical wide local excision with groin node dissection is possible in most early cases. Flaps can reduce wound breakdown. A multidisciplinary approach can ensure long-term survival with good quality of life.