Paget's disease of the vulva: A review of 89 cases

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively review the clinical characteristics and outcomes of a series of women with Paget's disease of the vulva. A retrospective review was performed of 89 women with Paget's disease of the vulva evaluated at a single institution between 1966 and 2010. Medical records were reviewed for demographic information, clinical data, pathologic findings, treatment modalities and outcomes. We found that the primary treatment was surgery for 74 (83.1%) patients, with positive margins noted in 70.1% of cases. Five patients (5.6%) underwent topical treatment with imiquimod and/or 5-fluorouracil, one patient (1.1%) underwent laser ablation and treatment was unknown in 9 patients (10.1%). The majority of patients had multiple recurrences, with 18% having four or more recurrences. There were no significant differences in recurrence rates between patients who underwent surgery and those who did not. Furthermore, there was no association between positive margins following primary surgery and recurrence. Forty-one patients (46.1%) were diagnosed with 53 synchronous or metachronous cancers. Seven patients (7.9%) were found to have invasive vulvar cancer with 1 mm or more depth of invasion, but none of the patients died of Paget's disease or associated vulvar/vaginal cancer. Our findings suggest that the majority of patients with Paget's disease of the vulva develop multiple recurrences regardless of treatment modality or margin status. Alternatives to surgery are needed to better care for women with this disease.

Keywords

• Paget's disease
• Vulvar cancer
• Margin status