Clinico-pathological profile of vulva cancer in southern Thailand: analysis of 66 cases.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinico-pathologic findings and treatment outcome of women with vulva cancer in Southern Thailand.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 66 women who had been treated with surgery from June 1984 to October 2003 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Prince of Songkla University.

RESULTS

The patients' age ranged from 30 to 87 years, mean 58.2 years. Two most common presentations were vulva mass (89.4%) and pruritus (57.6%). Duration of symptoms at presentation ranged form 1 month to 5 years. Most cases were squamous cell carcinoma (82.0%). The distribution by FIGO surgical stage I, II, III and IV was 9.1%, 47.0%, 34.8% and 9.1%, respectively. The most common complication was wound infection (45.5%), followed by wound dehiscence, lymphosis and leg edema (each 15.2%). The 5-year survival (and 95% CI) for stages I, II, III and IV was 100%, 96% (76-99%), 94% (63-99%) and 60 (13-88%), respectively. The 5-year survival for node-positive cases was 82% (54-94%) versus 100% for node-negative cases (p = 0.0003). Stage was a significant predictor of survival (p = 0.0142) and disease-free survival (p = 0.0112).

CONCLUSION

Stage and nodal involvement are predictors of survival, and stage is a predictor of disease-free survival.