title: Validation of the new FIGO staging system (2009) for vulvar cancer in the Chinese population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A new FIGO staging system for vulvar cancer was issued in 2009. The aim of this study was to identify its value in estimating the outcome of patients with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) in the Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 184 patients who underwent radical surgery for VSCC were recruited. Their medical records and pathology slides were reviewed. Disease reclassification was conducted according to the FIGO staging system (2009). The primary outcomes were cause-specific survival (CSS), relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 76 patients (41.3%) were downstaged and no patients were upstaged in the new FIGO staging system (2009). The stage distribution was as follows: stage I (99), stage II (13), stage III (65) and stage IV (7). According to CSS, the patients were classified into 4 groups: stage IA (group 1), stage IB/II/IIIA (group 2), stage IIIB (group 3), and stage IIIC/IV (group 4) (5-year CSS: 100%, 85%, 34.6% and 0%, respectively). The 5-year CSS was similar among the patients with stage IB, II and IIIA carcinomas (84.4%, 84.6% and 84.8%, respectively, p=0.986), whereas, significant decline of the CSS was found with increased substages of stages IIIA, IIIB and IIIC (84.8%, 34.6%, and 0 respectively, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 2009 FIGO staging system for VSCC displayed good performance for the subdivisions of stage III VSCC, but it failed to stratify survival well between stages IB, II and IIIA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Oncology, Fudan University, Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Jiajia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Oncology, Fudan University, Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yipin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Oncology, Fudan University, Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Guihao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Oncology, Fudan University, Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Libing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Wentao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Oncology, Fudan University, Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Oncology, Fudan University, Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China. Electronic address: huijuanyang@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Huijuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: FIGO stage system; Prognosis; Vulvar cancer