Squamous carcinoma of the vulva: results of treatment, 1938 to 1976.

Clinical data on 264 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva seen between 1938 and 1976 are reported. Two hundred and four patients were "eligible" for 5 year assessment for a 55% survival rate. Patients treated with radical vulvectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomy had a corrected 5 year survival rate of 86% if the lymph nodes failed to show metastatic disease. Twenty-eight percent of the patients treated with lymphadenectomy had lymph node metastasis at the time of surgery. The presence of lymphatic metastasis appeared to be the most significant prognostic factor. The results obtained have led to a degree of individualization in current treatment policies, together with a re-evaluation of the possible role of radiotherapy.