What causes vulvar swelling?

If there is a lump on the vulva, it should never be ignored by female friends. Scientific diagnosis must be made and the treatment method should be determined after understanding the cause. Common vulvar itching, genital warts or vulvar ulcers may be related to it.

1. Diagnosis

If general treatment does not work for vulvar itching, leukoplakia, genital warts, etc., especially if small nodules, ulcers or papillary growths occur, one should be alert to the possibility that they may develop into or have become vulvar tumors. Therefore, local biopsy must be performed promptly to confirm the diagnosis. Pathological tissue biopsy is the main basis for the diagnosis of vulvar tumors. The sampling must be appropriate, and it is advisable to biopsy the non-necrotic part of the suspected tumor tissue to avoid missing the diagnosis. For those with suspicious biopsy results, deeper tissue should be obtained for reexamination.

2. Differential Diagnosis

Vulvar white lesions, vulvar ulcers, vulvar papillomas, vulvar lichen sclerosus and atrophic lesions, vulvar granulomas, vulvar tuberculosis, etc. are difficult to distinguish from vulvar tumors in general and require biopsy after toluidine blue staining to make a clear diagnosis for differentiation.

Treatment

Treatments generally include drugs, laser, radiotherapy and surgery. The treatment for vulvar malignant tumors is mainly surgical treatment, supplemented by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

1. Medication

Drug treatment is to apply 5% 5-fluorouracil ointment to the lesions, but the failure rate is 50%. Anticancer drugs can be used as a comprehensive treatment for more advanced or recurrent cancer. To increase local drug concentration, pelvic artery infusion can also be used.

2. Surgery

Surgery is the preferred method, with extensive radical vulva surgery and bilateral inguinal deep and superficial lymph node dissection, and good results.

3. Radiation therapy

The indications for radiotherapy of vulvar cancer are: 1) The patient cannot undergo surgery or the surgery is too risky; 2) The cancer is so large that it is impossible to completely remove it or it is difficult to remove. ② For advanced cases, radiotherapy is performed first, and then a more conservative surgery is performed after the cancer has shrunk. ③ The possibility of recurrence is high, such as residual cancer cells in lymph nodes and surgical resection ends, and the lesions are close to the urethra and proximal rectum. Radiotherapy can be added to preserve these parts and completely remove the lesions. Radiotherapy uses external radiotherapy and interstitial radiotherapy.