A rare case of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma; case presentation

Abstract

Objectives. Vulvar cancer is a rare gynecological malignancy, with an incidence of 1.5 per 100 000 women/year. The most common vulvar cancer is developed in squamous cells, the most encountered type of skin cells. Case report. We report a case of a 72-year-old female admitted in the Department of Plastic Surgery of Emergency Clinical Hospital “Prof. Dr. Agrippa Ionescu” with a 5/4.2 cm painful ulcerated tumoral mass located in the vulvar area. The lesion slowly increased in size over the past 12 months. The tumour was surgically removed with oncological safety margins and sent for histopathological evaluation. The histopathological examination revealed an ulcerated squamous carcinoma with lymphovascular and perineural invasion, but with negative margins. Postoperative results were favorable, and no local or general complications were observed. Conclusion. We highlight this case due to its unusual presentation in the clitoral area. Moreover, considering the potential for recurrence we point out the importance of the radical vulvectomy with regional lymphadenectomy and histopathological examination, in order to put a precise diagnosis and ensure the best possible treatment for the patient.

Keywords

• vulvar carcinoma
• squamous cell carcinoma
• radical vulvectomy