title: Vulvar melanoma: a 33 years single Italian center experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vulvar melanoma is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to report our experience on vulvar melanoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective study on patients with primary melanoma of the vulva admitted to our hospital during the last 33 years. Clinical characteristics, surgical therapy and follow-up are reported. Patients were classified following the 2009 edition of the melanoma staging system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The predominant symptom was pain; five patients reported ulceration and one patient presented bleeding from the vulvar lesions. The average age at diagnosis was 61.4 years. Surgical treatment was performed: radical vulvectomy in five cases, emivulvectomy in three cases, large regional excision in one case. Average time to follow-up was 50.2 months. In four cases (44.4%), regional recurrence occurred and the patients died as a result of the tumor; one patient died of other causes; four patients were still alive at the time of the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current treatment protocols have moved towards less aggressive treatment in view of the current available evidence. Sentinel lymph node biopsy and adjuvant therapy are still under debate. Our study confirms the overall poor prognosis for vulvar melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy - asisti6@gmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Magnis
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanninen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sisti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sisti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sorbi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Turrini
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pimpinelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fambrini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery