title: Carcinoma of the Bartholin Gland: A Review of 33 Cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Primary carcinoma of the Bartholin gland is a rare malignancy that accounts for approximately 5% of vulvar carcinomas. The aim of the study was to compare the outcomes of women with primary Bartholin gland carcinoma (BGC) with those with non-Bartholin gland-related vulvar carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review of 429 patients with invasive vulvar carcinoma evaluated at a single institution between 1993 and 2011 was performed. Medical records were reviewed for demographic data, pathologic information, treatment type, and recurrence/outcome information. These variables were compared between patients with primary BGC and patients with non-Bartholin gland-related vulvar carcinoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-three (7.7%) of the 429 patients with invasive vulvar carcinoma had primary carcinoma of the Bartholin gland. Twenty-nine patients (87.9%) had squamous cell histology and 4 patients (12.1%) had adenocarcinoma. When compared with non-Bartholin gland-related vulvar carcinoma, patients with primary BGC had a younger age at diagnosis (median, 57 vs 63 years; P = 0.045), had a higher rate of stage III/IV disease (60.6% vs 35.8%; P = 0.008), and were more likely to receive radiation therapy (78.8% vs 43.9%; P < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups with regard to histologic subtype, lymphovascular space involvement, perineural invasion, positive margins, recurrence-free survival, or overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite being diagnosed at a more advanced stage, patients with primary carcinoma of the Bartholin gland seem to have similar oncologic outcomes and survival rates to patients with non-Bartholin gland-related vulvar carcinoma.
authors: From the *Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; Departments of †Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, ‡Biostatistics, and §Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; ∥Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Sao Paulo, Brazil; ¶Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Henghe Hospital, Beijing, China; and #Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal University of Health Sciences/Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericordia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Asha B
authors: AB
authors: Bhalwal
authors: Alpa M
authors: AM
authors: Nick
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Dos Reis
authors: Chun-Ling
authors: CL
authors: Chen
authors: Mark F
authors: MF
authors: Munsell
authors: Preetha
authors: P
authors: Ramalingam
authors: Mila Pontremoli
authors: MP
authors: Salcedo
authors: Pedro T
authors: PT
authors: Ramirez
authors: Anil K
authors: AK
authors: Sood
authors: Kathleen M
authors: KM
authors: Schmeler
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001472:Bartholin's Glands / Q000473:pathology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011878:Radiotherapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy