Surgical therapy of recurrent vulvar cancer

Abstract

The success of various surgical interventions in 201 cases with recurrent vulvar carcinoma was examined in the light of patients' pretreatment, surgical therapy, plastic reconstruction, and postoperative disease course. A databank of standardized clinical data was analyzed using statistical procedures. Therapy was selected on an individual basis according to tumor status. Recurrence at a site distant from the primary tumor, particularly in the inguinal region, indicated a markedly unfavorable prognosis. In contrast, tumors recurring locally did not exhibit any significant differences. Plastic surgery reconstruction led to improvements with respect to operability, wound healing, and survival. Individualized reconstructive surgery of the vulva leads to good results in patients with recurrent vulvar cancer. To an even greater extent than is the case for primary therapy, plastic surgery enlarges the spectrum of feasible surgical alternatives so that a more favorable oncological outcome and excellent cosmetic results may be expected.