Treatment Options by Stage

Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia (VIN)
Stage I Vulvar Cancer
Stage II Vulvar Cancer
Stage III Vulvar Cancer
Stage IV Vulvar Cancer

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Treatment of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) may include the following:

• Removal of single lesions or wide local excision.
• Laser surgery.
• Ultrasound surgical aspiration.
• Skinning vulvectomy with or without a skin graft.
• Biologic therapy with topical imiquimod.

Treatment of stage I vulvar cancer may include the following:

• Wide local excision for lesions that are less than 1 millimeter deep..
• Radical local excision and removal of nearby lymph nodes.
• Radical local excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy. If cancer is found in the sentinel lymph node, nearby lymph nodes are also removed.
• Radiation therapy for patients who cannot have surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage I vulvar cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of stage II vulvar cancer may include the following:

• Radical local excision and removal of nearby lymph nodes.
• Modified radical vulvectomy or radical vulvectomy for large tumors. Nearby lymph nodes may be removed. Radiation therapy may be given after surgery.
• Radical local excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy. If cancer is found in the sentinel lymph node, nearby lymph nodes are also removed.
• Radiation therapy for patients who cannot have surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage II vulvar cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of stage III vulvar cancer may include the following:

• Modified radical vulvectomy or radical vulvectomy. Nearby lymph nodes may be removed. Radiation therapy may be given after surgery.
• Radiation therapy or chemotherapy and radiation therapy followed by surgery.
• Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for patients who cannot have surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage III vulvar cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of stage IVA vulvar cancer may include the following:

• Radical vulvectomy and pelvic exenteration.
• Radical vulvectomy followed by radiation therapy.
• Radiation therapy or chemotherapy and radiation therapy followed by surgery.
• Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for patients who cannot have surgery.

There is no standard treatment for stage IVB vulvar cancer. Treatment may include a clinical trial of a new treatment.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage IVB vulvar cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.