Indications for Adjuvant (Chemo) Radiotherapy in Vulvar Cancer with Groin Lymph Node Metastases

Abstract

Guidelines recommend adjuvant treatment when positive lymph nodes are found after surgical treatment for squamous cell cancer of the vulva except for cases with a single occult intranodal metastasis. Recent studies questioned these recommendations and showed benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy for all patients with positive nodes irrespective of number of nodes. However, these studies did not take into account important nodal characteristics, such as clinical node status, extranodal spread or size of the metastasis. When these variables are taken into account, adjuvant radiotherapy does not seem to result in a better survival for patients with a single occult intranodal metastasis. Whether the addition of chemotherapy to the radiotherapy for patients with more than one positive node or extracapsular spread results in a better survival remains uncertain. Only a few studies have been published on this subject and come to the conclusion that adding chemotherapy results in a better survival. The conclusion is that adjuvant radiotherapy improves survival of patients with positive groin nodes, with the exception of patients with a single intranodal metastasis. The beneficial effect of chemo radiotherapy for subgroups of patients with positive nodes seems likely, although more data are needed before a definite conclusion can be made