Vulvar Cancer Follow-up Care & Concerns
Cure rates for vulvar cancer are fairly high. With many women surviving this cancer, day-to-day quality of life concerns become increasingly important. Surgery and more commonly, radiation therapy (with or without chemotherapy) can cause permanent and semi-permanent changes to a woman's body and organ function. With close monitoring and prompt feedback by both the woman and her health care providers, these problems can be kept to a minimum.
Radiation changes the blood flow in very small blood vessels and, over time can cause tissues to scar-become less flexible, shrink and make them more at risk for bleeding and irritation. Swelling in the legs (lymphadema) can also become a concern, especially for women who have had both a radical vulvectomy, lymph node removal, and radiation therapy. Careful attention to diet, fluid intake, avoiding smoking, estrogen replacement (with progesterone, for woman with a uterus), regular exercise, and careful leg and foot care can often minimize these long term side effects. Special treatment programs are available to treat lymphadema and make it more manageable. Physical therapy programs often employ specially trained therapist who treat patients as part of a Lymphadema Program. A woman should always alert her health care providers of problems or what is/is not helping to help avoid more serious problems or, at least, lessen their effect.
Vulvar Cancer
Treatment
