Treatments for stage 3 vulvar cancer
The following are treatment options for stage 3 vulvar cancer. Your healthcare team will suggest treatments based on your needs and work with you to develop a treatment plan.
Surgery
Surgery is usually the main treatment for stage 3 vulvar cancer. The type of
surgery you may have depends on the depth, size, location and
A partial radical vulvectomy removes part of the vulva and the deeper tissues under the tumour. It may or may not remove the clitoris.
A complete radical vulvectomy removes the whole vulva (including the clitoris), the deeper tissues under the vulvar skin and nearby lymph nodes. This surgery is rare.
Most stage 3 vulvar cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. The following lymph node surgeries are almost always offered along with a radical vulvectomy.
- A sentinel lymph node biopsy removes the sentinel lymph node to see if the cancer has spread there. If cancer is found in the sentinel node, a complete inguinal lymph node dissection may be done.
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An inguinofemoral lymph node dissection removes the lymph nodes from the same side of the groin as the cancer or both sides of the groin, depending on the location of the cancer.
A pelvic exenteration is a major operation. It includes a vulvectomy and removing the lymph nodes in the groin. It also removes one or more organs in the pelvis, such as the vagina, uterus, bladder or rectum. It is sometimes used to treat advanced vulvar cancer that has already spread to other areas in the pelvis when first diagnosed.
Find out more about surgery for vulvar cancer.
Chemoradiation
Radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be given during the same time period to treat vulvar cancer. This is called chemoradiation.
Chemoradiation is usually offered for stage 3 vulvar cancer.
You may be given chemoradiation to:
- treat locally advanced vulvar cancer when surgery can’t be done without affecting nearby organs such as the urethra and bladder
- shrink a tumour before surgery (neoadjuvant chemoradiation)
- treat lymph nodes in the groin and pelvis
Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. The most common types of chemotherapy drugs used in chemoradiation include:
- cisplatin and paclitaxel
- carboplatin and paclitaxel
In some cases, cisplatin may be given on its own in chemoradiation. But it is less common.
Find out more about chemotherapy for vulvar cancer.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells. Radiation therapy is usually given as part of chemoradiation for stage 3 vulvar cancer.
External radiation therapy is sometimes offered without chemotherapy:
- to destroy cancer cells left behind after surgery to reduce the risk that the cancer will come back (recur) (called adjuvant therapy)
- to shrink a tumour before surgery (called neoadjuvant therapy)
- to treat locally advanced vulvar cancer when surgery can’t be done
Find out more about radiation therapy for vulvar cancer.
Clinical trials
Talk to your doctor about clinical trials open to people with vulvar cancer in Canada. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, find and treat cancer. Find out more about clinical trials.
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