title: Vulvar invasive squamous cell carcinoma occurring in a young woman with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although several studies have demonstrated a possible relationship between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia and several solid tumors, it is still debatable whether SLE patients have an increased incidence of cancer overall.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe a 25-year-old patient with SLE who developed invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. The patient underwent radical vulvectomy and bilateral groin sentinel lymph node dissection and until to date, one year after surgery, she is alive without evidence of recurrent disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only three cases of vaginal/vulvar cancer associated with SLE have previously been mentioned in the literature, but not described in detail. This is the first detailed case report in the literature of vulvar invasive squamous cell carcinoma occurring in a SLE patient. It can only be speculated that the SLE itself and/or the treatment with immunosuppressive drugs provoked malignant transformation and the development of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma in such a young patient.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Piura
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabinovich
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shaco-Levy
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sukenik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery