Vulvar Cancer

• A lump in the vulvar area
• Abnormal bleeding not related to periods
• Itching or burning that does not go away 
• Pain and tenderness
• Skin color changes or thickening

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection: usually passed through sexual contact. 
• Older age 
• Smoking
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN): a precancerous condition
• Lichen sclerosus: white patches on the vulva skin, causing thin and itchy skin

• Surgery is the most common treatment for vulvar cancer. Depending on the extent of the procedure, the surgery could be: wide local excision (removing cancer and some of the normal tissue around it) or radical local excision (removing the cancer and a large amount of normal tissue around it) and removal of the lymph notes from one or both groins. 

• Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells.

• Chemotherapy uses one or a combination of drugs to kill cancer cells. For vulvar cancer, it is usually given through an IV and often at the same time as radiation therapy.

Programs + Services

Gynecologic Oncology Program

Physicians at the Gynecologic Oncology program at Tufts Medical Center are skilled in minimally invasive approaches such as robotic-assisted surgery to treat ovarian, uterus and cervical cancers.
More information about programs and services