Vulvar Cancer Treatment Options

Specific treatment for vulvar cancer will be determined by your physician based on:

Treatment may include:

surgery, including:
- excision - the cancer cells and a margin of normal appearing skin around the cancer is removed. Surgery is typically recommended for Stage I and II disease, and occasionally in Stage III and IV cases, along with chemotherapy/radiation therapy.
- vulvectomy - surgical removal of part of all of the tissues of the vulvar.
external radiation (external beam therapy) - a treatment that precisely sends high levels of radiation directly to the cancer cells. The machine is controlled by the radiation therapist. Since radiation is used to kill cancer cells and to shrink tumors, special shields may be used to protect the tissue surrounding the treatment area. Radiation treatments are painless and usually last a few minutes
chemotherapy - the use of anticancer drugs to treat cancerous cells. In most cases, chemotherapy works by interfering with the cancer cell's ability to grow or reproduce. Different groups of drugs work in different ways to fight cancer cells. The oncologist will recommend a treatment plan for each individual.
chemotherapy/RT - a regimen of radiation therapy and low-dose chemotherapy given concurrently is often used for later-stage cancers.