Trends in of late-stage squamous cell vulvar carcinomas: analysis of the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database.

Objective: To describe the trends in the rate, treatment, and survival of late-stage vulvar carcinomas (LSVCs) over a 20-year period in the United States.

Methods: Demographic, pathologic, treatment, and survival data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry between 1988 and 2007. Trends concerning the rate of LSVC (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] stages III and IV), its management, and outcome were studied. Five-year overall and disease-specific survival rates were calculated.

Results: The rate of LSVC (32.4%) as compared with early-stage disease (67.6%) did not change significantly from 1988 to 2007 (P = 0.59). Of the 2630 patients with LSVC, the median age at diagnosis was 72 years, with 88.5% of them being white. Surgery and radiation therapy were performed in 73.8% and 60.6% of cases, respectively, with 37% of the patients having no lymph node dissection. A significant trend toward removing fewer lymph nodes (P = 0.02) and offering more radiation therapy (P = 0.02) has been observed across the study period. Five-year overall and disease-specific survival rates did not change (P = 0.44 and P =0.26, respectively) from 1988 to 2007. On multivariate analysis, node positivity (hazard ratio, 3.12 [95% confidence interval, 2.30-4.24]) and surgery (hazard ratio, 0.41 [95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.69]) were found to be the 2 most predictive variables for cancer mortality, followed by age and tumor size.

Conclusion: Less extensive surgery and more radiation therapy did not compromise survival of LSVC over the 20-year period.