Vulvar cancer is a type of skin cancer. It’s not much different than basal cell carcinoma, the skin cancers you see in areas of sun-exposed skin. But vulvar cancer is not caused by sun damage. It is a rare disease that develops slowly over a period of years when a woman’s body creates malignant cells in the vulvar tissue.
It includes the female external genitalia. This includes the labia, the sinuses of the skin outside the vagina, the vagina of the clitoris and the perineum, and the skin between the vagina and the anus.
The National Cancer Institute estimates the increase in cases over the previous years. Their estimate is about 3,490 cases in 2007 with 880 deaths. Fifteen percent of these cases will affect women under 40 years of age. In most cases, they affect women aged 50 and over.
There is no one specific risk factor that causes vulvar cancer. Having multiple sexual partners increases a woman’s chance of getting cervical cancer. The earlier age at which a woman starts having sex impacts her chances of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV virus is one that can cause abnormal tissue growth by producing mutated cells. Infection with certain types of high-risk types of HPV increases the risk of developing cervical and vulva.
There are no specific signs or symptoms of vulvar cancer. It can be a lump, a scaly patch discolored skin or unrelated menstrual blood. and they may have other causes than vulvar cancer. Many cases are diagnosed in women with no symptoms.
Consult your doctor if you have any concerns or questions. A biopsy is needed to determine if the cells are malignant. Treatment options vary according to the stage of cancer at which it is detected. As with any disease, the sooner the condition is caught, the better the treatment can be.
