Surgical Treatment Of Vulvar Cancer Research Articles

Surgical treatment of vulvar cancer with perineal defect reconstruction using a VRAM flap. Clinical case

The article presents a clinical case of perineal defect reconstruction using a VRAM flap in a patient with vulvar cancer. Stepwise surgical treatment method is described. A multidisciplinary meeting allows to realize a plan of surgical help for such patients with the goal of treating oncological process and its complications.We have proposed a variant of perineal defect reconstruction through transfer of a vertical rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap with a vascular pedicle.

The giant steps in surgical downsizing toward a personalized treatment of vulvar cancer.

The present article aims to highlight the importance of changes of personalized surgical treatment for vulvar cancer. Current international literature regarding surgical treatment of vulvar cancer was evaluated. This included several studies and systematic reviews. Radical surgery approach, such as en bloc resection, was the first therapeutic option and the standard care for many years, even if burdened with a high complication rate and frequently disfiguring. Taussing and Way introduced radical vulvectomy approach with en bloc bilateral inguinal‐femoral lymphadenectomy; modified radical vulvectomy was developed, with a wide radical excision of the primary tumor. The role of inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (mono or bilateral) changed in the years too, particularly with the advent of SLN biopsy as minimally invasive surgical approach for lymph node staging, in patients with unifocal cancer <4 cm, without suspicious groin nodes. More personalized and conservative surgical approach, consisting of wide local or wide radical excisions, is necessary to reduce complications as lymphedema or sexual disfunction. The optimal surgical management of vulvar cancer needs to consider dimensions, staging, depth of invasion, presence of carcinoma at the surgical margins of resection and grading, with the goal of making the treatment as individualized as possible.

Personalized reconstructive and plastic approach in the surgical treatment of vulvar cancer

Introduction. The choice of a rational method of treatment in vulvar cancer is one of the most actual and difficult problems of modern clinical oncology. In the majority of cases vulvar cancer occurs in elderly and senile patients, as well as in some patients with locally advanced form. The aim of the investigation was to assess the possibility of reconstruction after surgical treatment of vulvar cancer.Materials and Methods. A study was conducted involving 151 patients with squamous cell vulvar cancer in whom the gynecological oncology department of Chelyabinsk regional clinical center of oncology and nuclear medicine performed surgical treatment by various methods in the following volume: dilated vulvectomy with the resection of adjacent anatomical structures with reconstructive and plastic component.Results. The original ways of plasty of the postoperative wound after vulvectomy were evaluated, the minimum risk of complications was revealed. The presented technologies permit to use additional variants of the wound defect reconstruction and have a number of advantages in comparison with two dermalfascial flaps from the medial surfaces of the femur used earlier. Discussion. Studies have shown that vulvar reconstruction using skin flaps can avoid complications and improve patients' quality of life. Reconstruction with flaps is not currently an accepted standard of treatment for vulvar cancer. Conclusion. The methods of the wound defect closure are possible after radical vulvectomy in patients with squamous cell vulvar cancer and resection of adjacent anatomical structures without reduction of surgical treatment volume. These methods of wound defect closure contribute to the reduction of postoperative complications and significantly reduce postoperative stay in a medical institution.

Evolution of surgical treatment of vulvar cancer: a literature review

In the structure of gynecological oncological pathology, vulvar cancer is located after cancer of the body of the uterus, cervix, and ovaries. The first publications on the surgical treatment of vulvar cancer date back to the second half of the 19th century. In the works of surgeons F. J. Taussig (1949) and S. Way (1960), radical vulvectomy with regional lymphadenectomy became a method of treating patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. With this aggressive approach, sufficiently high levels of five-year survival of patients with vulvar cancer were achieved up to 90% in a localized process, and up to 50% in the presence of metastases in regional lymph nodes. In the 1980s and 1990s, the transition from ultra-radical operations to economical, sparing ones became possible because of factors such as the introduction of the sentinel lymph node determination method. Ramon M. Cabanas in the 1960s first coined the term sentinel of signal lymph node. Surgical treatment for vulvar cancer has evolved over time, from extended, ultra-radical surgeries to a more individualized, conservative surgical approach, including widespread local excision with sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection instead of extended surgeries for early vulvar cancer. The evolution of the surgical treatment of vulvar cancer over the years is undoubtedly associated with the developments of the surgical technique, understanding of the biology of tumor growth, and radiation medicine along with the possibilities of drug therapy. The transition from simple tumor excision to extended, ultra-radical operations with inguinal-femoral, retroperitoneal, and pelvic lymphadenectomy made it possible to achieve good survival rates for this group of patients. In any case, further research is required to understand the adequate scope of surgical treatment for vulvar cancer.

Quality of life and associated factors after surgical treatment of vulvar cancer by vulvar field resection (VFR)

PurposeTo investigate patient-reported quality of life (QoL) and associated factors in vulvar cancer patients treated surgically by vulvar field resection (VFR) without adjuvant radiation.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated patient-reported QoL as part of the prospective monocentric VFR trial using the 30-item European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality-of-life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) supplemented by a question assessing sexual activity. All patients had been treated by VFR and no participant had received adjuvant radiotherapy. The gynecologic cancer lymphedema questionnaire (GCLQ) was used to determine the presence of lymphedema. Structured telephone interviews were conducted to assess postoperative sequelae and long-term complications.ResultsForty-three VFR patients (median age 63 years) were available for QoL assessment. Thirty-eight (88%) had received inguinal lymph-node dissection in addition to VFR. Mean global QoL (global health status) rating among all patients was 66.1 (± 25.5) on a scale from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating better QoL. Higher GCLQ scores were significantly associated with lower global QoL scores (Spearman's rank correlation ρ =− 0.7, p < 0.0001). The presence of preoperative co-morbidities and postoperative wound-healing complications were also linked to reduced QoL (p < 0.01 for both). In a multivariable regression model, there was a significant interaction between preoperative co-morbidities and wound-healing complications with regard to global QoL (p < 0.05).ConclusionOverall, VFR patients exhibit good quality of life postoperatively. The presence of lymphedema, wound-healing complications, and preoperative morbidities were associated with reduced QoL. Prospective longitudinal studies have to confirm our findings in the future.

Surgical treatment of vulvar cancer in patients with concomitant disorders

This article discusses the possibility of radical surgical treatment of vulvar cancer depending on the presence of concomitant diseases. It covers positive and negative aspects of various surgical techniques with a reconstructive component. The issue of closing the wound defect after vulvectomy and performing reconstructive surgery has always been controversial; it reduced the number of indications for such surgeries and often caused refusal from it.

Surgical treatment of vulvar cancer: Impact of tumor-free margin distance on recurrence and survival. A multicentre cohort analysis from the francogyn study group

ObjectiveIn vulvar cancer, it is admitted that tumor-free margin distance is one of the most important element for locoregional control. It is currently recommended to surgically remove the tumor with at least an 8 mm tumor-free margin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of tumor-free margin distance on recurrence and survival in vulvar cancer. Material and methodsFrom 2005 to 2016, 112 patients surgically treated for a vulvar squamous cell cancer were included in a retrospective multicenter study. Overall, disease-free and metastasis-free survivals were analyzed according to tumor-free margin distance. ResultsPatients were divided into three groups: group 1 (margin <3 mm, n = 47); group 2 (margin ≥3 mm to < 8 mm, n = 48) and group 3 (margin ≥8 mm, n = 17). During the study, 26,8% patients developed recurrence (n = 30) after a median of 8 months (1-69). Analysis of 5-year overall survival, as well as disease-free and metastasis-free survivals, did not reveal a difference between groups. We performed a subgroup analysis in patients with a tumor-free margin <8 mm (group 1 and 2). It showed that histological lesions observed closest to the edge of the specimen were more often invasive or in situ carcinoma lesions in group 1 than in group 2, in which VIN lesions were mainly observed at this location. After re-excision, no patients in group 1 and 50% (n = 2) patients in group 2 developed recurrence. ConclusionThis study did not reveal a significant impact of tumor-free margin distance on recurrence and survival in vulvar cancer. Moreover, the benefit of re-excision seems stronger when tumor-free margins are positive or very close (<3 mm), cases in which invasive or in situ lesions are often present closest to the edge of the specimen.

Robot-assisted Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping and Inguinal Lymph Node Dissection Using Near-infrared Fluorescence in Vulvar Cancer

The surgical treatment of vulvar cancer has undergone many changes over the last century. The morbidity of open inguinal incisions prompts the search for a minimally invasive approach to lymph node dissection. This study reports the outcomes of 4 patients with vulvar cancer undergoing robotic sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping and lymph node (LN) dissection with near-infrared fluorescence. From 2015 to 2017, 3 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva underwent robot-assisted SLN mapping and inguinal LN dissection. One patient with a vulvar melanoma had robotic bilateral SLN mapping only. The da Vinci Xi System with Firefly technology (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) and indocyanine green radiotracer was used in all cases. Eight groins underwent robot-assisted SLN mapping, 6 of which underwent inguinal LN dissection. The average operating time was 234 minutes with vulvectomy. The mean blood loss was 124 mL. The operative time decreased, and the lymph node yield increased with each case. There were no wound separations or long-term negative outcomes, such as persistent lymphedema or recurrence. This case series of robot-assisted SLN mapping and inguinal lymph node dissection shows the safety and feasibility of this new technique in vulvar cancer. It may be a valid approach to reduce short- and long-term morbidity.

Current Techniques for Detecting Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Vulvar Cancer

Introduction . Vulvar cancer belongs to the group of rare neoplasms and accounts for about 4% of all gynecological malignant tumours. One of the important barriers to the spread of the tumour cell population is the lymph nodes. Most oncologists recognize the existence of the so-called sentinel lymph nodes. A proper assessment of the status of this node makes it possible to predict the extent of the spread of cancer, which in turn secures a better surgical treatment outcome. Materials and methods . 87 patients with vulvar malignant neoplasms received surgical treatment in 2015-2018 at the Department of Oncogynecology of the Republican Oncology Center. Vulvectomy was performed on 19 patients with verified vulvar cancer; sentinel lymph node detection was employed. The methods used were the contrast lymphography and indirect intraoperative radioisotope lymphoscintigraphy. This resulted in the minimal number of postoperative complications recorded. Results. The scope of surgical treatment for vulvar cancer was optimized based on sentinel lymph node verification. Conclusions. Detection of sentinel lymph nodes in vulvar cancer is an effective method of planning for the scope of the surgery. Using this method reduces the number of postoperative complications. The reduction of the number of postoperative complications improves the patients’ quality of life.

Modern Approaches To Surgical Treatment Of Vulvar Cancer

Modern Approaches To Surgical Treatment Of Vulvar Cancer

Triple flap technique for vulvar reconstruction

Perineal defects are encountered ever more frequently, in the treatment of vulvar cancers or abdominoperineal resection. The surgical treatment of vulvar cancer leads to significant skin defect. The aim of the reconstruction is not to provide volume but rather to resurface perineum. We propose a new solution to cover the extensive skin defect remaining after excision. We report 3 patients who underwent large excision for vulvar cancer, with lymph node dissection. For reconstruction, we performed 3 advancement flaps. Two V-Y flaps cantered on the infra-gluteal folds and based on pudendal perforator arteries were used to cover the postero-lateral parts of the defect. The third advancement flap from the superior aspect of the defect was a Y-V Mons pubis flap. The defects were successfully covered by the 3 flap technique. The first patient suffered a non-union that slowly healed by secondary intention. For the other cases, we used the same technique, but applied negative pressure wound therapy on the sutures, with excellent results. The 3 flap technique is a simple and reliable method and the donor site morbidity is minimal. It can be realised without changing the position of the patient after tumour excision, and does not require delicate perforator dissection. This surgical option can be easily applied, allowing better management of these cases.

Vulvar cancer surgery

Surgical treatment of vulvar cancer has been shifted from ultraradical procedures associated with huge morbidity to less extensive surgery with better psychosexual result and less morbidity, without compromising survival. The authors review and discuss the recent literature regarding the surgical management of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma. Surgery remains the cornerstone in the treatment of vulvar cancer. Radical vulvectomy with inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy has been replaced by radical local excision with sentinel node procedure for early disease. However, the role and distance of pathological margins are still on debate. Recent results from a large prospective trial corroborate the safety of sentinel node biopsy for early disease, even after primary tumor resection. An experienced team should perform sentinel node procedure using combined technique (blue dye and lymphoscintigraphy) and ultrastaging pathology. Moreover, midline tumors still need lymph node biopsy from both groins. Primary vulvar cancer may be safely treated with radical/wide local resection. In case of other suspicious lesion or multifocal disease, radical vulvectomy is performed. Patients with unifocal disease, tumor size less than 4 cm, and clinically negative groins are candidates to sentinel node procedure. In the case of clinically positive node or sentinel node metastasis, a systematic inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy should be performed.

Lymphedema Microsurgical Preventive Healing Approach for Primary Prevention of Lower Limb Lymphedema After Inguinofemoral Lymphadenectomy for Vulvar Cancer

Lower limb lymphedema (LLL) is the most disabling adverse effect of surgical treatment of vulvar cancer. This study describes the use of microsurgical lymphatic venous anastomosis (LVA) to prevent LLL in patients with vulvar cancer undergoing inguinofemoral lymph node dissection (ILND). The study included 8 patients with invasive carcinoma of the vulva who underwent unilateral or bilateral ILND. Before incision of the skin in the inguinal region, blue dye was injected in the thigh muscles to identify the lymphatic vessels draining the leg. Lymphatic venous anastomosis was performed by inserting the blue lymphatics coming from the lower limb into one of the collateral branches of the femoral vein (telescopic end-to-end anastomosis). An historical control group of 7 patients, which underwent ILND without LVA, was used as comparison. After 1 month from the surgery, all patients underwent a lymphoscintigraphy. In the study group, 4 patients underwent bilateral ILND, and 4 patients underwent unilateral ILND. Blue-dyed lymphatics and nodes were identified in all patients. It was possible to perform LVA in all the patients. The mean (SD) time required to perform a monolateral LVA was 23.1 (3.6) minutes (range, 17-32 minutes). The mean (SD) follow-up was 16.7 (6.2) months; there was only 1 case of grade 1 lymphedema of the right leg. Lymphoscintigraphic results showed a total mean transport index were 9.08 and 14.54 in the study and the control groups, respectively (P = 0.092). This study shows for the first time the feasibility of LVA in patients with vulvar cancer undergoing ILND. Future studies including larger series of patients should clarify whether this microsurgical technique reduces the incidence of LLL after ILND.

A Prospective Study in Detection of Lower-Limb Lymphedema and Evaluation of Quality of Life After Vulvar Cancer Surgery

Lower-limb lymphedema is one of the most disabling adverse effects of vulvar cancer surgery. Multifrequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (MFBIA) is a modern noninvasive method to detect lymphedema. The first aim of this study was to prospectively determine the prevalence of secondary lower-limb lymphedema after surgical treatment for vulvar cancer using objective methods, circumference measurements and MFBIA technique. The second aim was to compare quality of life (QoL) before and 6 months after vulvar surgery. Twenty-nine patients underwent vulvar cancer surgery in our study: 17 underwent inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (RAD), and 12 underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (CONS). Patients were examined before and 6 months after vulvar surgery by measuring the circumference of the lower limbs and with MFBIA. A control group of 27 healthy women was also measured. To evaluate QoL, the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QoL questionnaires (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CX24) were administered to patients before and 6 months after surgery. Using circumference measurement, 9 lymphedemas (31%) were diagnosed: 3 (25%) in the CONS and 6 (37.5%) in the RAD group (P = 0.69). After vulvar surgery, patients in the RAD group reported more fatigue and worsening of physical and role functioning. When comparing both groups, the RAD group had significantly worse parameters in social functioning, fatigue, and dyspnea. Lower radicality in inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy shows a trend toward lower morbidity and significantly improves QoL. Multifrequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis was tested in these patients as a noninvasive, objective method for lymphedema detection. Detection of lymphedema based on subjective evaluations proved to have an unsatisfactory sensitivity. Less radical surgery showed objectively better results in QoL.

Conservative Management of Vulvar Cancer Stages I–II: Past and Future

Abstract Objective: The aim of the present review is to provide an up-to-date overview for the conservative treatment of vulvar cancer. Sentinel lymph-node (SLN) biopsy is a promising new method for reducing the morbidity of traditional surgical therapy. Method: A bibliographic search was conducted through PubMed. The keywords used in the search were: vulvar cancer, sentinel lymph node, diagnostic methods in vulvar cancer, and reviews in vulvar cancer. Results: This review presents the most recent data on presurgical diagnostic methods, the pathohistologic criteria to perform surgery, SLN accuracy, and its clinical importance. Conclusions: The surgical treatment of vulvar cancer has changed dramatically in more than 100 years. However, in the last 30 years, new promising techniques have emerged to reduce morbidity. The new more-conservative techniques have to be performed by well-trained surgeons who pay attention to the preoperative evaluation of the patient as well. SLN and fusion imaging computed tomog...

Vulvar field resection: Novel approach to the surgical treatment of vulvar cancer based on ontogenetic anatomy

Objective Current local treatment of vulvar cancer is wide tumor excision and radical vulvectomy based on functional anatomy established from the adult and on the view of radial progressive tumor permeation. Standard surgery is associated with a considerable local failure rate and severe disturbance of the patients' body image. Vulvar field resection (VFR) is based on ontogenetic anatomy and on the concept of local tumor spread within permissive compartments. VFR combined with anatomical reconstruction (AR) is proposed as a new surgical approach to the treatment of vulvar cancer. Methods A prospective trial was launched to test the compartment theory for vulvar cancer and to assess safety and effectiveness of the new therapy. Results In 54 consecutive patients 46 tumors were locally confined to the tissue compartment differentiated from the vulvar anlage. The 8 tumors having transgressed into adjacent tissue compartments of different embryonic origins exhibited signs of advanced malignant progression. 38 patients with vulvar cancer, stages T1–3 were treated with VFR and AR. The perioperative complication rate was low. At 19 (3–50) months follow-up no patient failed locally. 33 patients estimated their body image as undisturbed. Conclusions Vulvar cancer permeates within ontogenetic tissue compartments and surgical treatment with VFR and AR appears to be safe and effective. Patients should benefit from the new approach as local tumor control is high and the preserved tissue can be successfully used for restoration of vulvar form and function. Confirmatory trials with more patients and longer follow-up are suggested.

Harmonic scalpel versus conventional electrosurgery in the treatment of vulvar cancer

Objective To compare differences in blood loss, operative time, and intra- and postoperative complications with the harmonic scalpel or conventional electrosurgery in the treatment of vulvar cancer. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent radical vulvectomy with inguinal lymphadenectomy using the harmonic scalpel (HS) or conventional electrosurgery (CE) were compared. Results A total of 42 patients were included, 22 in the HS group and 20 in the CE group. Mean blood loss was significantly less in the HS group compared with the CE group (127 mL vs 210 mL; P < 0.05) and mean operative time was significantly shorter with the HS compared with CE (117 minutes vs 142 minutes; P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in postoperative complications. Conclusion Use of the harmonic scalpel for surgical treatment of vulvar cancer is safe and has several advantages, including decreased operative time and blood loss, improved visibility in the operative field, and good postoperative outcome.

Partial urethral resection in the surgical treatment of vulvar cancer does not have a significant impact on urinary continence. A confirmation of an authority-based opinion

Partial resection of the urethra is sometimes necessary in the surgical treatment of locally advanced vulvar cancer. In this study, the frequency of urinary incontinence after partial urethral resection was compared with that of patients who were treated without partial resection of the urethra. Eighteen patients with vulvar cancer encroaching or infiltrating the urethra, treated by a radical vulvectomy and partial urethrectomy, were compared with 17 patients treated by vulvectomy without partial removal of the urethra. Data on urinary incontinence pre- and postoperatively from both groups were retrospectively collected from the patient files. A questionnaire on urinary incontinence was sent to a subset of patients from both groups in order to get information on the current micturation pattern. In four out of 18 patients (22%) with a partial urethrectomy, incontinence was reported, versus two out of 17 patients (12%) in the control group (P= 0.860). Eight patients in the study group and 12 in the control group are currently alive, and all responded to the questionnaire. Two (25%) in the study group and three (25%) in the control group reported to have current symptoms of urinary incontinence. This retrospective study shows that partial resection of 1-1.5 cm of the distal urethra in addition to a radical local excision for vulvar cancer does not result in a significant increase in the frequency of urinary incontinence, compared with vulvar cancer patients without partial urethrectomy.

Intraoperative Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Node Identification With Blue Dye in Patients With Vulvar Cancer

Levenback, Charles; Coleman, Robert L.; Burke, Thomas W.; Bodurka-Bevers, Diane; Wolf, Judith K.; Gershenson, David M.

Intraoperative Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Node Identification with Blue Dye in Patients with Vulvar Cancer

Objective. To determine the effectiveness of intraoperative lymphatic with blue dye alone as a means of localizing sentinel nodes in patients with vulvar cancer.Methods. All patients undergoing primary surgical treatment for vulvar cancer were eligible for this prospective study. Isosulfan blue dye was injected intradermally at the edge of the primary tumor closest to the adjacent groin. Bilateral dye injections and groin dissections were performed if the tumor was within 2 cm of the midline.Results. Fifty-two patients were enrolled in the study between 1993 and 1999. The median age was 58 years. Eighty-seven percent of the patients had T1 or T2 lesions, and 92% had nonsuspicious lymph nodes on palpation. Sixty-seven percent of the patients had squamous cell carcinoma; the remaining patients had melanoma or adenocarcinoma. The sentinel node was identified in 46 of the 52 patients (88%), comprising 22 of the 25 patients with lateral tumors and 24 of the 27 patients with midline lesions. The sentinel node was successfully identified in 57 of the 76 (75%) dissected groins. Sentinel node identification in the groin was hampered by the effects of prior excisional biopsy vs punch biopsy (11 of 25 vs 8 of 51, P = 0.007) and by the lateral vs midline location of the tumor (22 of 25 groins vs 35 of 51 groins, P = 0.067). During the first 2 years (1993–1994), a sentinel node could not be identified in 4 of the 25 (16%) patients and 13 of the 36 (36%) groins dissected, compared with 2 of the 27 (7%) of patients treated and 6 of the 40 (15%) groins dissected from 1995 through 1999 (P = 0.034). A total of 556 nodes were removed (median, 7 per groin), of which 83 (median, 1 per groin) were sentinel. The sentinel node was not identified in 2 of the 12 groins that proved to have metastatic disease. Both events occurred in the first 2 years of the study. There were no false-negative sentinel nodes. Since 1995, we have successfully identified the sentinel node in 16 of the 16 patients (25 of 25 groins) with T1 or T2 primary lesions, squamous histology, and nonsuspicious groin nodes on physical examination.Conclusions. Experience and careful patient selection can permit sentinel node identification with blue dye injection alone in more than 95% of patients with vulvar cancer.