title: Conservative surgical treatment for early-stage vulvar malignant melanoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy of wide local excision as a surgical treatment for early-stage vulvar melanomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Wide local excision with or without lymph node dissection was performed in three patients with stage I vulvar melanoma (American Joint Committee on Cancer classification, 1992).
  
  
  RESULTS
  All three patients were successfully treated by wide local excision. There was no evidence of recurrence at long-term follow-up in any of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Wide local excision with adequate tumor-free margins should be considered the treatment of choice for early-stage vulvar melanomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Idaigaoka 1-1, Hasama-machi, Yufu-shi, Oita, 879-5593, Japan. nasu@med.oita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kaei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nasu
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kai
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohishi
authors.forename: Aiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Haruaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Sakuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Narahara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery