Types of vulval cancer

The type of vulval cancer tells you which type of cell the cancer started in. There are different types of vulval cancer. The most common type is squamous cell carcinoma.

Doctors use the information about your vulval cancer type along with:

• the size of the cancer and whether it has spread. This is the stage
• how abnormal the cancer cells look under the microscope. This is the grade of the cancer

This helps your doctor decide which treatment you need.

How doctors find out about the type of vulva cancer you have

Your doctor takes a sample of tissue to find out which type of vulval cancer you have. This is a biopsy. They send the tissue sample to a laboratory, where a specialist doctor looks at it under a microscope. The specialist doctor is called a pathologist.

The cells of the different types of vulval cancer look different, so the pathologist is able to tell which type you have.

Squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell is the most common type of vulval cancer. About 90 out of 100 vulval cancers (about 90%) are this type.

Most squamous cell cancers start on the lips of the vulva (labia). More rarely, it can start in the clitoris and Bartholin's glands.

Vulval melanoma

This is the second most common type of vulval cancer. It is most often found in women who no longer have periods (post menopause). 

White women are at higher risk of vulval melanoma than Black women.

Paget’s disease of the vulva

This is a rare type of skin cancer. It usually affects the surface of the skin of the vulva and is slow growing. It is most often found in women who no longer have periods. 

Paget’s disease of the vulva causes itching and pain. Treatment includes surgery or a cream called imiquimod.  

This is also known as extramammary Paget’s disease as it is similar to Paget’s disease of the breast.

Other rarer types of vulval cancer

Other rarer cancers can develop in the vulva. 

Verrucous carcinoma

This is a type of squamous cell carcinoma. You usually have treatment with surgery. 

Basal cell carcinoma

This type of cancer develops from the deepest layer of skin cells called basal cells.

Sarcomas

There are different types of sarcomas that can affect the vulva. They include angiomyxoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.  

Bartholin’s gland carcinoma

The Bartholin’s glands make a fluid, which acts as a lubricant during sexual intercourse. These cancers are usually advanced by the time they are diagnosed. This means that they have spread to other parts of the body.