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Objective: Our purpose was to determine if postoperative transfusion increases the risk of recurrence in patients who have undergone operation for squamous carcinoma of the vulva., Study Design: Data from 154 patients with squamous carcinoma of the vulva treated at Indiana University Medical Center from 1974 through 1988 were retrospectively analyzed to determine the influence of postoperative transfusion on recurrence risk. Patients were evaluated for International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, lesion size, lesion depth, grade, patient age, number of transfusions, and recurrence with chi 2 analysis, Fisher's exact test, and the Student t test where appropriate., Results: Transfusions were given to 57 patients (37%) with a mean of 2.2 units delivered (range 1 to 5 units). Transfused patients differed significantly from those not transfused in that they had more advanced stage (p = 0.002), more positive nodes (p = 0.03), and higher grade lesions (p = 0.03), and they were older (p = 0.005). Recurrences developed in 25 patients (16.2%). Recurrences were more common in those with positive nodes (10-39, 25.6%) than in those with negative nodes (8/99, 8%), (p = 0.01). Only nodal status was predictive of recurrence in this series. Transfused patients had a 14% (8/57) rate of recurrence, whereas the recurrence risk was 17.5% (17/97) in those not transfused (p = 0.65)., Conclusions: We have been unable to confirm that postoperative transfusions increase the risk of recurrence in patients with squamous carcinoma of the vulva.

Objective: This study reviews experience at Indiana University with recurrent squamous carcinoma of the vulva over an 18-year period from 1971 to 1989. The pattern of recurrence, time interval to recurrence, and efficacy of salvage therapy are evaluated in the context of the primary tumor., Study Design: This is a retrospective study of 40 patients, 21 of whom underwent primary therapy for invasive squamous carcinoma of the vulva at Indiana University., Results: Vulvar recurrences were observed in 17 patients (43%), the groin was involved in 12 (30%), whereas pelvic and distant recurrences were observed in 2 (5%) and 9 (22.5%) patients, respectively. Salvage surgery and/or radiotherapy were successful in 25 patients (62.5%) alive from 1 to 144 months (median 8 months) from secondary therapy. Survival after retreatment varied significantly by site of recurrence (p = 0.002), tumor grade (p = 0.009), and interval to recurrence (p < 0.001). Best outcomes were in patients with initial stage I or II disease (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics), grade 1 tumors, local failure, and interval to relapse of > 16 months' duration. Two of 12 patients with groin recurrences were salvaged with surgery and radiotherapy., Conclusion: Long-term follow-up of patients with vulvar cancer and careful restaging at the time of recurrence are mandatory. Although local and nodal recurrences may be controlled with surgery and/or radiotherapy, regional recurrences are usually fatal.

From January 1974 to March 1988, 150 patients with primary invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva underwent surgery at Indiana University. There has been a trend toward more conservative surgical management of this disease. To determine the impact of this trend on clinical outcome, cases were divided into three groups according to date of operation: group I, 1974 to 1978; group II, 1979 to 1983; and group III, 1984 to 1988. Overall, 80 patients had en bloc radical vulvectomy and groin dissection, 20 had modified radical vulvectomy and bilateral groin dissection through three separate incisions, and 36 had modified radical vulvectomy and unilateral superficial groin dissection. Fourteen patients had other operations. Forty-two patients (27.3%) had radiotherapy in addition to surgery. Among the three groups, there were no differences when mean age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage distribution (1988 system), mean lesion size, mean depth of invasion, or grade distribution were compared. A significant trend toward more conservative surgical therapy was observed. En bloc radical vulvectomy was performed in 77.4% of group I patients, 71.1% of group II patients, and 35.8% of group III patients (p less than 0.001). Mean days of hospitalization were also reduced significantly. Group I had a mean stay of 30 days, group II had a mean stay of 23 days, and group III had a mean stay of 11 days (p less than 0.001). Mean operative blood loss (group I, 754.8 ml; group II, 620.0 ml; group III, 393.6 ml; p = 0.03), mean units of blood transfused (group I, 1.4 units; group II, 1.3 units; group III, 0.4 units; p less than 0.01), and mean hours of operating time (group I, 3.7 hours; group II, 3.7 hours; group III, 3.2 hours; p = 0.02) were also reduced.

A 66-year-old patient was treated with external radiation therapy for an advanced carcinoma of the vulva. Seven years later, a lymphangiosarcoma developed in her edematous lower extremity. Lymphangiosarcomas have been reported to occur in postmastectomy patients; however, this is only the third case in a patient with a gynecologic primary malignancy. In anticipation of possible increased use of radiation therapy in vulvar carcinoma, gynecologists should be aware of this rare, highly aggressive neoplasm.

Five cases of extramammary Paget's disease of the vulva were studied by histologic, ultrastructural, and immunologic methods. In one of these cases, the associated invasive adnexal carcinoma was studied in a similar fashion. In all five cases, carcinoma-in situ of the sweat glands was observed. In two cases, the glands were identified as aporcrine. In the other three it could not be determined whether they were apocrine or eccrine. In one case tumor cells were seen extending from a focus of underlying carcinoma-in-situ of sweat glands through the excretory duct into the surface epithelium. The ultrastructural findings indicated that the Paget's cells as well as the cells of the invasive carcinoma were adenocarcinoma cells, but the findings were not conclusive as to whether the cells were apocrine or eccrine. There was no evidence of origin of the Paget's cells from keratinocytes. We believe that the bulk of evidence favors an extraepidermal origin for extramammary Paget's disease. The tumor is most commonly derived from the secretory portion of sweat glands, probably either of apocrine or eccrine types, or the dermal or poral portion of the sweat duct. Some cases of Paget's disease are derived from other types of glands.

Tissue specimens from 51 patients with genital condyloma acuminata or invasive cervical or vulvar carcinomas were analyzed for the presence of human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) using the dot blot technique. Of ten condylomas, 80% contained DNA related to human papillomavirus 6 or 11. Sixty percent had evidence of DNA related to human papillomavirus 16, and 30% contained DNA related to human papillomavirus 18. Of 24 squamous cervical carcinomas, 58% had human papillomavirus type 16-related DNA, 33% had type 6- or 11-related DNA, and 4% had type 18-related DNA. Nine primary or recurrent vulvar carcinomas were analyzed. Seventy-eight percent contained human papillomavirus type 6- or 11-related DNA, 33% type 16-related DNA, and 22% type 18-related DNA. Whereas invasive cervical carcinomas predominantly contained DNA related to human papillomavirus 16 or 18, invasive vulvar carcinomas predominantly contained DNA related to types 6 or 11. Thus, human papillomavirus type alone cannot distinguish benign from malignant epithelial disease in the female genital tract.