Information for the patients:
Vulvar cancer is a type of cancer that occurs on the outer surface area of the female genitalia. The vulva is the area of skin that surrounds the urethra and vagina, including the clitoris and labia.
Vulvar cancer commonly forms as a lump or sore on the vulva that often causes itching. Though it can occur at any age, vulvar cancer is most commonly diagnosed in older adults.
Vulvar cancer treatment usually involves surgery to remove the cancer and a small amount of surrounding healthy tissue. Sometimes vulvar cancer surgery requires removing the entire vulva. The earlier vulvar cancer is diagnosed, the less likely extensive surgery is needed for treatment.
Symptoms:
Signs and symptoms of vulvar cancer may include:
Risk factors:
Although the exact cause of vulvar cancer isn't known, certain factors appear to increase your risk of the disease, including:
Diagnosis:
The best way to diagnose vulvar cancer is by having regular wellness exams with a primary care doctor or a gynecologist. During these exams, the doctor will look for common signs and symptoms of vulvar cancer and may order tests if something looks suspicious.
Tests and procedures used to diagnose vulvar cancer include:
The stages of vulvar cancer are indicated by Roman numerals that range from I to IV, with the lowest stage indicating cancer that is limited to the vulva. By stage IV, the cancer is considered advanced and has spread to nearby structures, such as the bladder or rectum, or to distant areas of the body.
Treatment:
Treatment options for vulvar cancer depend on the type, stage and location of your cancer, as well as your overall health and your preferences.
Surgery
Operations used to treat vulvar cancer include:
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses X-rays or other high-energy sources to kill cancer cells. The most common delivery method for vulvar cancer treatment is external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). EBRT uses a machine to deliver radiation through your skin to the targeted cancer site.
Often, people receive radiation therapy and chemotherapy together (chemoradiation). You may receive radiation before surgery to shrink a tumor or after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. For those with advanced vulvar cancer that has spread to other areas of the body, chemotherapy may be an option.
Chemotherapy is sometimes combined with radiation therapy to shrink large vulvar cancers in order to make it more likely that surgery will be successful. Chemotherapy may also be combined with radiation to treat cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.
Targeted drug therapy
Targeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. Targeted therapy might be an option for treating advanced vulvar cancer.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy uses your immune system to fight cancer. Your body's disease-fighting immune system may not attack your cancer because the cancer cells produce proteins that help them hide from the immune system cells. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process. Immunotherapy might be an option for treating advanced vulvar cancer.
Vulvar cancer care at Shefa-El Orman Hospital
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The program includes:
Required documents
Price from: On request
Type of program: Outpatient
Expected duration of the program: 5 days
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The program includes:
Required documents
Price from:
Type of program: Inpatient
Expected duration of the program: 10 days
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The program includes:
How program is carried out
During the first visit, the doctor will conduct a clinical examination and go through the results of previous laboratory tests and instrumental examinations. After that, you will undergo an additional examination, including complete blood count, laboratory assessment of liver and kidney function. Based on the received results, the physician will elaborate the chemotherapy regimen, conduct radiotherapy planning with the help of CT or MRI, make the permanent tattoo marks on the skin and conduct CT simulation in order to assess the accuracy of the rays and the radiation dose. If necessary, related medical specialists will be involved in the elaboration of a treatment regimen (tumor board).
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are carried out as the day hospital procedure, without mandatory admission to the hospital. At each visit, the physician will assess your general condition and the marks on the skin. After that, you will be placed in a shielded radiation therapy room, on a special table.
Each radiation therapy session lasts less than half an hour (including preparation). All this time, doctors and nurses are monitoring your condition, you can communicate with them through a loudspeaker. The procedure is completely painless. Depending on the planned course of treatment, you will visit the hospital from 1 to 3-5 times a week.
During the chemotherapy session, after the placement of a venous catheter, you will stay in a comfortable ward. An infusion system will be connected to the catheter, through which the required drug or a drug combination will be administered. All drugs are administered by intravenous drip, slowly, so the total duration of the infusion can be up to several hours. All this time, doctors and nurses will monitor your health condition closely.
After the completion of the chemotherapy and radiation therapy course, you will undergo control examinations aimed at assessing your condition and efficacy of treatment. After that you will receive the medical report with detailed recommendations regarding further follow-up and treatment. In the future, you will be able to have a distant consultation with your attending physician and schedule the next course of treatment, if necessary.
Required documents
Price from: on request
Type of program: Outpatient
Expected duration of the program: 39 days
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4-chemotherapy:
The program includes:
How program is carried out
During the first visit, the doctor will conduct a clinical examination and go through the results of previous laboratory tests. After that, you will undergo an additional examination, including laboratory assessment of liver and kidney function. Based on the received results, the doctor will elaborate the chemotherapy regimen. If necessary, related medical specialists will be involved in the elaboration of a treatment regimen (tumor board).
Chemotherapy is carried out as the inpatient procedure or outpatient according to chemotherapy protocol type. After the placement of a venous catheter, you will stay in a comfortable ward. An infusion system will be connected to the catheter, through which the required drug or a drug combination will be administered. All drugs are administered by intravenous drip, slowly, so the total duration of the infusion can be up to several hours. All this time, doctors and nurses will monitor your health condition closely.
After the course of chemotherapy, you will stay under medical supervision in the ward for a few more hours. After the completion of the chemotherapy course and control examinations you will receive the medical report with detailed recommendations regarding further treatment. In the future, you will be able to have a distant consultation with your attending physician and schedule the next course of chemotherapy, if necessary.
Required documents
Price from: On request (regarding chemotherapy protocol)
Type of program: Inpatient or outpatient (regarding chemotherapy protocol)
Expected duration of the program: from 1 to 4 days per cycle (regarding chemotherapy protocol)
مؤسسة شفا الأورمان المُشهره بوزارة التضامن الاجتماعي برقم 5859 لسنة 2016
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