Vulvar Cancer
What is the cancer vulvare?
It is about an abnormal growth of the malicious cells (neoplasia, tumours) in the vulva. It is defined the vulva like the female external genitals, and he understands the great lips, little lips, clitoris, and hall, or entry, of the vagina.
About 70 % of the tumours of the vulva to involve the lips, (principally the great lips), 15 % – 20 % to involve the clitoris, and an other one 15 % – 20 % to involve the perineum, which is the area of the sensitive skin sited between the vagina and the anus. In about 5 % of the cases, the cancer is present in more than one site.
Which are different types of cancer vulvare?
The vulva is essentially epithelial of the skin, and so the principal types of tumour, that interest such a zone are tied tumours of the skin.
The greatest part of the tumours of the vulva are carcinomas to scaly cells, which develop on the boards of the great lips / minora or the vagina. As in case of carcinomas to scaly cells of the vagina, of the vulva tumours to scaly cells are to slow growth and they usually develop “precancerous”, pre-invasive zones called intraepithelial neoplasia vulvare (VIN).
The melanoma is the second commonest type and it represents about 5 % – 10 % of the cases vulvare; they involve about the half of the great lips.
The commonest of cancer of the skin in zones exposed to the sun is the carcinoma to basal cells, and as provided, this type is verified rarely on the vulva.
Adenocarcinomi of the vulva is rare, but there can develop at the glands which the glands of the Bartolini in opening vaginale.
How much is common the cancer vulvare?
Cancer vulvare is a diagnosis comparatively rare, that represent about 5 % of all the gynaecological tumours, and only 1 % of all the female tumours in general. They are about 3.500 new indicated cases each year in the United States and about 900 the death one year attributed to this sickness. The cancer incidence vulvare has remained stable in the last two decades, but it is more than doubled the percentages of precancerous lesions compared to the same time period. For the growing number of cases it is not well understood the cause.
Who falls ill of cancer vulvare?
Cancer of the vulva is presented more commonly in the women in postmenopause. The middle age to the diagnosis is 65 years, but the studies have suggested that the tumours vulvari can be more and more common in the women in their years ’50.
Which are the risk factors for the cancer vulvare?
As well as advanced age, vulvare it has been associated the cancer by a history of:
- infection with types to high HPV risk, (es: HPV 16,18,33)
- more partner sexual / sexually broadcast sicknesses
- tumour of the nape uterina
- immunodeficiency
- presence of chronic irritation vaginale and vulvare
- smoke
Which are the symptoms of the cancer vulvare?
The classic symptom is the itch vulvare (itch), brought back in almost 90 % of the women with cancer vulvare. They can be associated also pain to us, sanguinamento, losses vaginali and / or painful micturition (dysury).
Besides, the women often develop a visible mass vulvare: the sottotipo can seem elevated to scaly cells pushes white, pink or red, while the melanoma vulvare presents typically like a colour, the growth ulcerata. It can be parts of the tumour at that they look badly and scaly, or cauliflower – like (similar to HPV-Correlated warts).
