Vulvar tumors

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Vulvar tumors are abnormal growths on the vulva, the outside part of the female genitals. They can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (vulvar cancer). They make up a small share of female genital cancers—about 3%—and can be cystic (fluid-filled), solid, or a mix.

Malignant vulvar tumors come from the skin lining of the vulva (epithelium); sarcomas come from other tissues like fat, muscle, or blood vessels. In general, vulvar cancers involve epithelial or connective tissue.

In the United States, malignant vulvar tumors account for about 6% of cancers of the female reproductive organs and about 0.7% of all cancers in women. About 1 in 333 women will develop vulvar cancer. In 2018, roughly 5,500 women were diagnosed and about 1,300 died. Cancers can start on the inner edges of the labia majora or minora, at the clitoris, or in the Bartholin glands.

Researchers work on prevention and treatment, including genetics, drug therapies, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and lymph node mapping.