Vulvar Cancer Treatment | Apollo Cancer Centres

Wide local excision or radical excision- Removal of the cancer with a margin of healthy-looking tissue. Removal of what the doctors refer to as a margin of healthy-looking tissue aids in assuring removal of all cancerous cells.
Partial/ Radical Vulvectomy - This is a more extensive surgery to remove the vulva partly (partial vulvectomy) or completely (radical vulvectomy), may be an option for larger cancers. Surgery may be combined with radiation therapy or chemotherapy to shrink the tumour before surgery.
Surgical removal of surrounding lymph nodes may be suggested based on the extent of spread of the cancer.

Radiation therapy is used sometimes, to shrink large vulvar cancers to increase the success rate of surgery. Radiation to the areas of the affected lymph nodes will kill any remaining cancer cells in the area, post-surgery. It is also combined with chemotherapy to increase the vulnerability of cancer cells to radiation therapy.
External Beam Radiation therapy - Radiation is given as external beam radiation therapy. High precision techniques like Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), Image guided Radiotherapy (IGRT), 3D Confrontal Radiation Therapy (3D CRT) and Volumetric Modulated Arc therapy (VMAT/Rapid Arc) are useful in targeting the tumor accurately and avoiding normal tissue injury.

Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. The indication for chemotherapy is based on the stage of cancer and risk factors. For the treatment of advanced Vulvar cancer that has spread to other regions of the body, chemotherapy may be an option. It is also used in combination with radiation therapy prior to surgery, to shrink large Vulvar cancers, as well as, in cases where spread to lymph nodes has occurred.
Immunotherapy is a drug treatment that uses the immune system to fight cancer. For Vulvar cancer, immunotherapy may be considered in a carefully selected group of patients where investigations show that immunotherapy may be beneficial.