Assessment of recurrence rate and risk factors of relapse in stage in IA vulvar carcinoma

To evaluate recurrence rates and risk factors of relapse in stage IA vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) patients. Population-based prospectively collected data on stage IA VSCC was retrieved through the Danish Gynecological Cancer Database (DGCD) during 2011–2017. A central pathology review was performed on tumors from women with recurrent disease. 62 women diagnosed and treated for stage IA VSCC were identified. Nine (14.5%) of the included cases relapsed within the observation period. The recurrences were in the vulva, groins or both in 5 (8.1%), 3 (4.8%) and 1 (1.6%) of the women, respectively. At central pathology review, including all recurrent cases (n = 9), 5 out of 21 reviewed patients were upstaged to stage IB due to depth of invasion >1 mm and two were downstaged to Carcinoma in situ. Two of the upstaged women developed an isolated groin recurrence and one an isolated vulvar relapse. After exclusion of the seven cases the overall recurrence rate decreased to 10.9% (n = 6). Among these cases (n = 55) resection margin