Vulvar and vaginal cancer during pregnancy: A pooled analysis of 15 cases from the International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy and review of the literature
Abstract
Introduction
Vulvovaginal cancer in pregnancy is rare. Limited data complicate decision‐making and patient counseling. Our review, coupled with new case data, fills a current gap in the literature and provides practical insights.
Material and Methods
Oncological and obstetric data of these pregnancies were examined by a case collection from the International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (INCIP) registry (vulvar
n
= 10, vaginal
n
= 5) and a literature review (vulvar
n
= 46, vaginal
n
= 37).
Results
Although preoperative imaging of inguinofemoral lymph nodes is feasible, only 16.1% of vulvar cancer patients underwent ultrasound or MRI. Treatment was initiated during pregnancy for 69.1% of vulvar cancer and 28.4% of vaginal cancer patients. Surgical lymph node staging of vulvar cancer was postponed until after delivery in 10 cases, although uni‐ or bilateral lymphadenectomy during pregnancy was not associated with more complications. Delivery outcomes included a live birth rate of 96.4% for vulvar cancer and 50% for vaginal cancer due to the high rate of pregnancy terminations, with most births preterm. The overall 5‐year survival rates for vulvar (81.3%) and vaginal (66.4%) cancer during pregnancy are comparable to nonpregnant populations, indicating that pregnancy does not adversely impact maternal prognosis.
Conclusions
This study underscores the feasibility of adapting standard oncological care for pregnant patients, emphasizing multidisciplinary teams to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes.
