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Treatment Option Overview for Vulvar Cancer
Source: Vulvar Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 14, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary.
The primary treatment for vulvar cancer is surgery. Radiation therapy is also given to patients with stage III or IV disease.[1-3] Newer strategies have integrated surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy and tailor the treatment to the extent of clinical and pathological disease. Patterns of practice in combining these treatments vary.[4]
Because there are few patients with advanced disease (stages III and IV), only limited data are available on treatment efficacy in this setting, and there is no standard chemotherapy regimen for these patients. Physicians may offer eligible patients with stage III or IV disease participation in clinical trials.
Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Source links and citations
| Stage (FIGO Staging Criteria) | Treatment Options |
|---|---|
| FIGO = Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d’Obstétrique; VIN = vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia. | |
| VIN (this stage is not recognized by FIGO) | Surgery |
| Topical imiquimod | |
| Stages I and II vulvar cancer | Surgery |
| Surgery and radiation therapy | |
| Radiation therapy alone | |
| Stage III vulvar cancer | Surgery with or without radiation therapy |
| Radiation therapy or chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery | |
| Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy | |
| Stage IVA vulvar cancer | Surgery |
| Surgery and radiation therapy | |
| Radiation therapy or chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery | |
| Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy | |
| Stage IVB vulvar cancer | Chemotherapy |
| Recurrent vulvar cancer | Wide local excision with or without radiation therapy |
| Radical vulvectomy and pelvic exenteration | |
| Synchronous radiation therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy with or without surgery | |
Source links and citations
- FIGO Staging Criteria
- Surgery
- Topical imiquimod
- Surgery
- Surgery and radiation therapy
- Radiation therapy alone
- Surgery with or without radiation therapy
- Radiation therapy or chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery
- Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy
- Surgery
- Surgery and radiation therapy
- Radiation therapy or chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery
- Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy
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