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“Unresectable” Vulval Cancers: Is Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy the Way Forward?

  • Gynecologic Cancers (NS Reed, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva is an uncommon gynaecological malignancy, but the incidence is increasing. A significant proportion of patients present with locally advanced disease, and management can prove challenging because of the size and/or location of the tumour. Surgery forms the mainstay of treatment, but the role of neoadjuvant therapy in minimizing morbidity is under investigation. Although chemotherapy alone has been largely neglected in favour of chemoradiotherapy, concerns about the toxicity of trimodality therapy and suboptimal results, particularly in node-positive patients, have led to renewed interest in neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). A review of the available literature illustrates that NACT can produce dramatic responses, but operability rates and overall survival differ widely. The effect is dependent on as yet unidentified factors, although we speculate that age and tumour biology are important. Further work is required to delineate the optimal NACT regimen and the patient population(s) most likely to benefit from this practice.

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Kathryn Graham and Kevin Burton declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Oncology, Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0YN, UK

    Kathryn Graham

  2. Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Queen Elizabeth Building, 16 Alexandra Parade, Glasgow, G31 2ER, UK

    Kevin Burton

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  1. Kathryn Graham
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Correspondence to Kathryn Graham.

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Graham, K., Burton, K. “Unresectable” Vulval Cancers: Is Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy the Way Forward?. Curr Oncol Rep 15, 573–580 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-013-0349-x

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