RÉSUMÉ
Objective: Review of patients operated for primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the vulva in the Department of Gynaecological Oncology, University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, to determine factors related to recurrence as well as survival of disease. Material/Methods: A retrospective review using details obtained from patients’ records. Hazard ratio estimation was carried out with Cox Regression analysis and survival plots were determined using Kaplan-Meier plots. Results: 144 women with primary vulval SCC were operated from 2002-2010. Commonly, radical wide local excision (49.3%) and radical vulvectomy (46.5%) were carried out, apart from ano-vulvectomy (1.4%) and local excision biopsies (2.8%). In 77.1% lympnode dissection was performed and inguinal metastasis was diagnosed in 28.8%, bilaterally in 68.8%. Histologically, 64.4% were moderate/poor differentiation and 30.9% were advanced disease (FIGO III and IVA). The 5-year survival rate (OS) was 61.1%. Stratified by FIGO classification, the 5-year OS for stages IA, IB, II, III and IVA were 72.7%, 86.0%, 50%, 34.4% and 45.5% respectively. Age >70 years was an important prognostic factor (51.9% OS) compared to 71.6% in patients 70 years. Patients with grade 1 disease survived in 72.5%, grade 2 in 58.8% and poorly differentiated cancer in 41.7%. Presence of inguinal metastasis was associated with a 40.6% 5-year OS, absence with 74.7%. Conclusions: Cox regression analysis confirms that age, presence/bilaterality of inguinal lymphnode metastasis, high-grade tumour differentiation, tumour size, FIGO stage and adjuvant therapy are important prognostic factors for 5-year survival.