At Fox Chase Cancer Center, our multidisciplinary medical team works closely to accurately diagnose your vulvar cancer and help you understand your options so that you can make an informed decision about your treatment.
As a regional and national leader in cancer care, Fox Chase Cancer Center has a wealth of experience treating all types of vulvar cancer.
Our skilled gynecologic oncology team meets regularly to review patient cases and map out a personalized treatment plan. We strive to treat your cancer in the least invasive way possible using innovative surgical techniques and combination therapies that give you the best chance of a successful outcome.
Our doctors are also actively involved in developing new therapies for treating vulvar cancer. Through clinical trials, we are able to offer our patients access to promising treatments and experimental therapies that may not be available elsewhere. Ask your Fox Chase doctor if a clinical trial is right for you.
Your Treatment Options
Treatment for vulvar cancer depends on the stage, type, and grade of your cancer; whether it has spread to other tissue; and your age, health history, and personal goals. Your personalized treatment plan will be created after consultations with multiple physicians within our multidisciplinary team and may include a combination of one or more of the following treatment options.
Surgery
Fox Chase gynecologic oncologists are highly skilled in both radical surgery and minimally-invasive techniques such as laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Procedures offered to patients with vulvar cancer include:
- Surgical treatment of pre-invasive lesions
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy
- Elective removal of the ovaries and uterus to reduce risk of cancer in high-risk women
- Plastic and reconstructive surgery to improve quality of life, restore anatomy, and retain vulvar and vaginal function
Systemic Therapy
The medical oncologists at Fox Chase Cancer Center are regional and national leaders in the treatment of vulvar cancer. As part of the multidisciplinary team, your medical oncologist will help to determine your personalized treatment plan, which may include systemic therapies such as targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy, either as standard of care or as part of a clinical trial. Systemic therapy may be given before or after surgery and may also be recommended to patients who are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic cancer).
Radiation Therapy
The radiation oncologists at Fox Chase Cancer Center specialize in treating vulvar cancer using the latest radiation therapies. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells and may be given in combination with chemotherapy if you are unable to tolerate surgery or in combination with chemotherapy and surgery for patients with invasive vulvar cancer.
Clinical Trials
Fox Chase Cancer Center actively participates in a number of clinical trials for patients with vulvar cancer. In addition to receiving excellent care, our patients also benefit from the groundbreaking research that we do to expand our understanding of new vulvar cancer therapies and treatments. We encourage eligible patients to participate in clinical trials that are available and appropriate for their stage and type of vulvar cancer.
Preserving Fertility
Certain gynecological cancers and their related treatments can lead to a loss of fertility. The gynecologic oncology team at Fox Chase works with younger women to explore fertility sparing treatment options that may preserve their ability to have children, including surgical techniques that may leave reproductive organs intact.