Combined bleomycin and irradiation in preoperative treatment of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva.

Forty-two patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva were treated with a combination regimen of bleomycin 180 mg and external irradiation 30-45 Gy. Twenty patients had primary lesions, and 22 patients had recurrent disease. Fifteen (75%) of the patients with primary disease showed objective response (five complete and ten partial response). Four underwent surgery. Of these, one is alive after 60 months with no evidence of disease. Two have died of unrelated causes without signs of recurrence. Seventeen relapsed and died of carcinoma of the vulva. Median survival for patients treated for primary disease was 8.0 months. Thirteen (59%) of 22 patients treated for recurrence showed objective response (two complete and eleven partial responses). None underwent surgery. All these patients died of carcinoma of the vulva. Median survival was 6.4 months. Toxicity was acceptable, and there were no treatment-related deaths. Even taking into account that our patients had very advanced disease, the results are disappointing. An increase of the radiation dose beyond the maximum of 45 Gy given, and more aggressive surgery, might have improved the results.