Information on Vulvar Cancer

The vulva is the skin and soft tissue that make up the lips outside of a woman’s vagina.  Cancers of the vulva can come from any of the different types of tissue that make up the vulva, such as the skin, the glands, the hair follicles, the small muscles, or even the pigment in the skin.  Each type of cancer has a different name and is treated differently.  For example, a typical cancer of the vulvar skin, a squamous cell cancer, almost always comes from HPV, the same virus that causes cervical cancer.  Melanomas of the vulva are much rarer, but come from cancers of the pigment cells of the skin.  Sarcomas and cancers of the Bartholin’s glands can also occur.

Most vulvar cancers are treated by surgically removing them.  Sometimes radiation and chemotherapy are also used to treat more advanced cases.  Patients often ask me the differences between cancer and precancer. For more information on this topic, please watch the video below from my YouTube Channel, DoctorKTV.