Relevance of microinvasion in carcinoma of the vulva.
Retrospective analysis of 22 cases of Stage I invasive carcinoma of the vulva showed 11 cases in which the depth of tumor invasion was 5 mm or less. All of these patients were treated with radical vulvectomy and lymphadenectomy. In 3 cases positive groin node metastases were discovered. A fourth patient with minimal stromal invasion (less than 5 mm) was prospectively managed with vulvectomy alone and subsequently developed groin node metastasis leading to death from disseminated tumor. Depth of the invasion alone, therefore, is not a reliable indicator of the likelihood of groin node involvement, and lymphadenectomy should continue to be considered for all patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva.
D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*