Conservative surgical treatment for early-stage vulvar malignant melanoma.
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.
Nasu
Kaei
K
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
Kai
Yoshitaka
Y
Ohishi
Masaki
M
Kato
Aiko
A
Sato
Haruaki
H
Fujiwara
Sakuhei
S
Takai
Noriyuki
N
Narahara
Hisashi
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery