Vulval cancer

The vulva is the area round the vagina.

The main treatment for cancer of the vulva is most likely to be surgery.

Your doctor will discuss specific treatment options dependant upon the size of the cancer. If the cancer is small, it is likely that an operation called wide local excision will be undertaken.

If the cancer is bigger you may need to have quite a lot of tissue removed, including the labia (these are the folds of skin around your vagina) the operation is called a radical vulvectomy.

When the cancer is larger it is more likely to have spread into the lymph nodes. In this case, as well as removing the cancer from the vulva the lymph nodes in the groin are removed to try to stop the cancer spreading around your body.

If the lymph nodes show signs of cancer you are likely to have radiotherapy after your operation. This is to try to get rid of any cancer cells left behind after surgery.