Treatments patterns of vulvar cancer in the elderly.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate treatment patterns of vulvar cancer in patients over 80 years.


METHODS
Between 1979 and 1999, the Geneva Tumor Registry identified 230 women with vulvar cancer. Treatment of patients over 80 years and younger were compared. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to determine disease specific cumulative survival.


RESULTS
Young women are more likely to present in situ lesions compared to their older counterparts. Majority of vulvar cancers were observed in women >or=80 (p<0.001) at more advanced stages. Elderly women have either no treatment, either unconventional or inadequate treatments. The Mantel-Haentzel analysis shows a 23.4 OR (IC (95%) 2.9-186.6) of not being treated if the patient is over 80. Specific 5-years survival was 93% in stage I, compared to 21% in stage IV.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients over 80 years are diagnosed at more advanced stages. Less aggressive treatments decrease outcome.
Vlastos
A-T
AT
Department of Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals, 30 Boulevard de la Cluse, 1211 Geneva, 14 Switzerland.
Usel
M
M
Beffa
V
V
Petignat
P
P
Neyroud-Caspar
I
I
Bouchardy
C
C
Vlastos
G
G
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011364:Professional Practice; D012042:Registries; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*