Prognostic value of lymph node status and number of removed nodes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva treated with modified radical vulvectomy and inguinal-femoral lymphadenectomy

Purpose of investigation: To assess the outcome of patients with squamous cell vulvar carcinoma treated with deep partial or total vulvectomy and inguinal-femoral lymphadenectomy. Materials and Methods: The authors assessed 87 patients who underwent primary surgery. Results: Tumor recurred in 34 patients, and the first relapse was local in 19, inguinal in ten, and distant in five. Five-year disease-free survival was 56.7% and was related to Stage (p < 0.0001), grade (p = 0.023), and node status (p < 0.0001). Groin failure occurred in 4.9% of node-negative patients compared with 29.6% of node-positive patients (p = 0.0096). Distant recurrences only developed in women with positive nodes. Among the 47 patients who underwent bilateral lymphadenectomy and who had negative nodes, groin recurrence occurred in 12% of those who had <= 15 nodes removed and 0% of those who had > 15 nodes removed. Conclusions: Stage and node status were the most important prognostic variables. There was a trend favoring a better groin control in patients with node-negative disease who underwent extensive lymphadenectomy.

Vulvar carcinoma; Prognosis; Recurrence; Survival; Inguinal-femoral lymphadenectomy

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