Conservative clitoral preservation surgery in the treatment of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Objective.To determine the safety and efficacy of clitoral-sparing surgery in women with squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) of the anterior vulva not involving the clitoris. Methods.Patients with vulvar SCCA diagnosed between 1984 and 2000 were identified and data collected. In this descriptive analysis, women treated with complete radical vulvectomy were compared to those treated with clitoral-sparing modified radical vulvectomy. All slides were re-reviewed. Results.Of the 41 women with vulvar carcinoma, 13 had clitoral-sparing modified vulvectomies (group A) while the remaining 28 underwent complete radical vulvectomies (group B). The 13 patients in group A included, 8 with stage I, 2 stage II, 2 stage III, and 1 with stage IV disease. The two groups had similar demographic and pathologic prognostic factors. After a median follow-up of 59 months, no patients in group A had loco-regional failure. Conclusion.Clitoral-sparing vulvar cancer surgery does not compromise the rate of loco-regional control in patients and may be offered to selected women.