Interstitial brachytherapy with 192Ir in vulvar cancer

Abstract

Vulvar cancer accounts for 5% of all female genital cancers and 1% of all malignancies in women. A female patient, 78 years old, with diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of vulva stage II, was admitted to our Institution in January 2004. An exophytic tumor, size 6 x 3.5 cm which infiltrated subcutis in the area of the upper two-thirds of labia majora dexter was found during gynecological examination. Inguinal nodes were negative. Our choice was to perform interstitial brachytherapy. During the control checkup in September 2005 no tumor was observed and its previous location was transformed in fibrous tissue with shallow post-irradiative crater.

Keywords

• vulvar neoplasms
• carcinoma
• squamous cell
• brachytherapy
• iridium radioisotopes
• radiotherapy dosage