Vulval Cancer

Vulval Cancer is a cancer type that could affect any part of the exteriorly placed female sex organs. The inner edging of the labia majora and the labia minora are the commonly affected areas for its development. Less frequently, cancer could also affect the clitoris, or the Bartholin glands that are the tiny glands located one on either side of the vagina. Cancer could additionally develop in the perineum.

Types of Vulval Cancer

• Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  9 out of 10 vulvar cancers starting developing in the skin of the vulva from the cells known as squamous cells. This form of vulvar cancer develops in a gradual course of several years.
• Vulval Melanoma
  Melanomas developing from the pigment-creating cells that proffer the skin its colour. Vulval melanoma is the second most prevalent form of vulvar cancer, though it is less commonly occurring than the squamous cell form. Merely four from every hundred vulvar cancers are due to melanoma.
• Adenocarcinoma
  These are atypical occurrences developing from the cells that line glands in the vulval skin.
• Basal cell carcinoma
  This atypical form of cancer developing from cells known as basal cells that are present in the innermost layer of the skin of the vulva. It usually has a slow proliferation and nearly never spreads beyond the vulval region.
• Verrucous Carcinoma
  This atypical, quite slow-developing form of squamous cell carcinoma that appears alike a huge wart.
• Sarcomas
  Sarcomas affecting the vulva are quite atypical. Sarcomas developing from cells in tissues like muscles or fat beneath the skin. They have a tendency of spreading at a swifter rate as compared to other kinds of vulval cancer.

Vulval cancer symptoms

The most prevalent symptoms of vulval cancer are:

• Itchiness, burning sensation and tenderness felt in the vulva.
• Appearance of a bulge, swelling or wart-alike development.
• Thickening, elevated, reddish, whitish or dark patches on the skin surface of the vulva.
• Blood inundated vaginal discharge not related to menstrual cycles.
• Burning sensation experienced when urinating.
• Pain sensed in the vulval region.
• Appearance of sores or ulcers on the vulval area.
• A mole on the vulva that alters shape or colour.

Any of the above mentioned symptoms could be arising because of conditions that are not cancer-related, though it is imperative to getting them checked from a doctor.

Cancer of the vulva could progress on a gradual pace for several years as it generally spreads at a slow rate. As alike other kinds of cancers, it is simpler for treating and curing when diagnosed early.

Vulval Cancer Causes

Cancers affecting the vulva are atypical; merely over one thousand women in the UK are detected on an annual basis. The precise reasons for vulval cancer occurring is still not clearly known. However, vulval cancer is non-communicable and is not due to a heritable defective gene.

There are several risk factors observed to raise the likelihood of development of vulval cancer that include:

• Age
  The risk of developing vulval cancer correspondingly rises with age. Nearly eight out of ten women that are detected with vulval cancer are beyond sixty years of age. Vulval cancer affecting elderly women is generally related to a skin condition known as lichen sclerosus. However, vulval cancer is emerging to be prevalent in younger aged women amongst whom it is mostly associated with HPV infection.
• Skin conditions of the vulva
  Women having non-malignant vulval skin conditions like vulval lichen sclerosus and vulval lichen planus, are at heightened risk of developing vulval cancer. Nearly 3-5% of women having lichen sclerosus in imminent course of time develop vulval cancer. It is believed that over protracted periods of time, skin inflammation that occurs due to these skin conditions raises the likelihood of cancer developing on the vulval skin.
• HPV or Human papilloma virus
  Being infected with the HPV virus raises the risk of developing vulval cancer. HPV is a widespread sexually transmitted infection. There are several kinds of HPV- the identification of each is done with the assistance of a number. Some forms like 16, 18 and 31are associated with vulval cancer and pre-malignant alterations known as VIN. Majority of women having HPV infection do not face any major problems as their immune system swiftly discards the virus. However, among some women the virus continues to exist and could lead to anomalous modifications in the vulval skin and at times lead to vulval cancer.
• Vulval intraepithelial neoplasia or VIN
  This is a pre-malignant condition that could affect the vulval skin and at times developing into vulval cancer. There are two kinds of VIN namely:
  • VIN usual form
    This form is associated with HPV infection and solely affecting women less than fifty years of age.
  • VIN differentiated
    This form of VIN is associated with lichen sclerosus and more often inflicts women past the age of fifty years.
• Smoking
  Smoking raises the chances of getting VIN as well as vulval cancer. The prolonged periods of time or the amount of cigarettes smoked is observed to raise the risk. The immune system’s efficacy at combating and clearing HPV infection is lowered due to smoking. This could be one of the reasons that raise the risk of vulval cancer.
• Paget’s disease of the vulva
  A rare condition that leads to anomalous modifications in the cells covering the vulval skin. This often is known to inflict menopausal women. In some cases of women having Paget’s disease of the vulva (lesser than twenty percent) – an insidious form of vulval cancer arises beneath the area inflicted with Paget’s disease.

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