title: Radiotherapy as Definitive Treatment of Patients with Primary Vulvar Carcinoma Unfit for Surgery and with Recurrent Vulvar Carcinoma After Primary Radical Surgery: Results of a Retrospective Single-center Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the outcome of patients with vulvar carcinoma unfit for surgery treated with radiotherapy for primary disease and for those with recurrent disease after primary surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted on 16 patients with primary disease and 31 with recurrent disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An objective response and long-term control were obtained in 43.8% and 18.8% of patients with primary carcinoma. Median survival after primary radiotherapy was 15 months. An objective response and long-term control were achieved in 100% and 20% of the 15 patients with local recurrence. Only two out of the 13 patients with groin recurrence were recovered by salvage treatment, and all three patients with distant recurrence died of their disease. Median survival after relapse in the 31 patients was 33 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Radiotherapy achieves unsatisfactory results in patients with primary vulvar carcinoma who are unfit for surgery as well as in those with recurrent disease after surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Medicine, Division of Radiation Oncology, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy c.laliscia@ao-pisa.toscana.it.
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Laliscia
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Angiolo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gadducci
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Medicine, Division of Radiation Oncology, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Montrone
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tana
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Medicine, Division of Radiation Oncology, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morganti
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Medicine, Division of Radiation Oncology, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fabrini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Radiotherapy; brachytherapy; external radiotherapy; recurrence; surgery; vulvar carcinoma