Results of surgical treatment of vulvar cancer

129 patients with carcinoma of the vulva were treated at the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from 1966-1985. FIGO stage I was observed in 21% of the cases, FIGO stage II in 50%, FIGO stage III in 10% and FIGO stage IV in 8% of the patients. In 10% of the patients, definite classification was not possible. Mean age at the onset of the disease was 66.2 years, the mean time of observation 63 months. Kraurosis of the vulva or leukoplakia were simultaneous phenomena recorded locally in 67% of the patients. Histological investigation showed squamous cell carcinoma in 93% of the cases. The tumours were most frequently observed on the labia and the clitoris. 98% of the patients underwent surgery, 64% radical vulvectomy with inguinal lymph node disection. 56% of the patients of this group had a 5-year survival rate, which was 47% for the entire group of patients. Wound healing disorders were the most frequently observed postoperative complications. Metastasis to the inguinal lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis is the critical point of the prognosis. In the absence of lymph node involvement, 68% of the patients achieved a 5-year survival, in the presence of lymph node involvement, the 5-year survival rate was only 13%. Results obtained by this study support the view, that radical surgery at the earliest possible time is the treatment of choice for carcinoma of the vulva.