Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN)--diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

PURPOSE: Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) represents a current diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The present retrospective study is an institutional experience on the diagnosis and management of VIN.

METHODS

One hundred and thirteen women with VIN were reviewed and analyzed. Diagnosis was established by colposcopically directed biopsies whereas treatment was performed by either a surgical or a laser CO2 approach.

RESULTS

The mean age of all VIN patients was 47.4 years. The most common symptom was pruritus (60.1%). The majority of the lesions were multifocal (N = 64, 56.6%) and located in the non-hairy part of the vulva (87.6%). VIN management consisted of laser CO2 treatment in 51 patients (45.1%), surgical treatment in 37 (32.7%) whereas 25 VIN, cases were managed by conventional medical treatment. The risk of disease relapse was not associated with VIN grade (p = 0.35) nor with the treatment modality used (p = 0.42). The risk of disease relapse was significantly higher for multifocal lesions (p < 0.001). Long-term follow-up of our patients showed that four patients (3.5%) developed an invasive vulvar carcinoma.

CONCLUSION

Our study confirms other reports concerning the diagnostic and treatment difficulties of the management of VIN. Although the benefits of treatment are obvious there seems to be no guarantee that invasion will not occur.