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Incidence of in situ and invasive vulvar cancer in the US, 1998–2003†‡§

  1. Mona Saraiya MD, MPH1,¶,*,
  2. Meg Watson MPH1,
  3. Xiaocheng Wu MD, MPH2,
  4. Jessica B. King MPH1,
  5. Vivien W. Chen PhD2,
  6. Jennifer S. Smith PhD3,‖,
  7. Anna R. Giuliano PhD4,††

Article first published online: 3 NOV 2008

DOI: 10.1002/cncr.23759

Issue

Cancer

Cancer

Supplement: Assessing the Burden of HPV-Associated Cancers in the United States

Volume 113, Issue Supplement 10, pages 2865–2872, 15 November 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Saraiya, M., Watson, M., Wu, X., King, J. B., Chen, V. W., Smith, J. S. and Giuliano, A. R. (2008), Incidence of in situ and invasive vulvar cancer in the US, 1998–2003. Cancer, 113: 2865–2872. doi: 10.1002/cncr.23759

Author Information

  1. 1

    Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

  2. 2

    Louisiana Tumor Registry and Epidemiology Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

  3. 3

    Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

  4. 4

    Risk Assessment, Detection, and Intervention Program, The Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida

  1. Fax: (770) 488-4639.

  2. ‖

    Dr. Smith has received research grants, honoraria, and consulting fees from GlaxoSmithKline and Merck Corporation.

  3. ††

    Dr. Giuliano has acted as a member of the Speakers Bureau and Advisory Board for Merck and Company, and has received a research grant from the company.

*Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NE, MS K-55, Atlanta, GA 30341

  1. †

    For more information on vulvar cancers, please visit www.cdc.gov/cancer/gynecologic

  2. ‡

    The findings and conclusions of this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  3. §

    This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 3 NOV 2008
  2. Article first published online: 3 NOV 2008
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 22 MAY 2008
  4. Manuscript Revised: 7 MAY 2008
  5. Manuscript Received: 14 APR 2008

Funded by

  • Cooperative Agreement. Grant Number: U50 DP424071-04
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Keywords:

  • vulvar cancer;
  • human papillomavirus;
  • HPV vaccine;
  • cancer registries

Abstract

BACKGROUND.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been shown to prevent precancerous lesions of the vulva with the potential to prevent a percentage of vulvar cancers. To provide a baseline picture before HPV vaccine implementation, the authors described vulvar cancer epidemiology by age, race, ethnicity, and histology in the US.

METHODS.

The authors examined incidence data from 39 population-based cancer registries that met high-quality data standards from 1998 to 2003, covering approximately 83% of the US population. They limited their analysis to in situ and invasive vulvar squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). In situ vulvar cancers did not include vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia type 3 (VIN 3).

RESULTS.

SCC accounted for 77% of in situ cases and 75% of invasive vulvar cancers, an annual burden of 1498 in situ and 2266 invasive SCC vulvar cancers. Greater than 75% of the in situ and invasive SCCs had no specific histology identified. White women had the highest rates of vulvar cancer; the incidence rates of invasive vulvar SCC among black women and Hispanic women were approximately one–third lower than for their counterparts (white women and non-Hispanic women, respectively). For women aged <50 years, the age-specific rates of invasive SCC were approximately the same among whites and blacks. Increases in rates after age 50 years, however, were noted to be more rapid among white than among black women.

CONCLUSIONS.

Distinct age-specific incidence rate patterns of invasive vulvar SCC by race and ethnicity and the higher incidence rates observed among white women compared with women of other races and ethnicities were opposite to patterns noted for cervical cancer. Underestimations of the burden of in situ vulvar cancers were a result of the inability to examine VIN 3 in the authors' data. Encouragement of cancer registries to report and submit VIN 3 data and more research on data quality will allow a thorough assessment of the impact of HPV vaccine by providing a basis for examining the true burden and quality of these precancerous vulvar tumors. Increased documentation of histologic subtypes in pathology reports and in cancer registry data can help differentiate the burden ofHPV-associated types from non–HPV-associated types of vulvar cancers. Cancer 2008;113(10 suppl):2865–72. Published 2008 by the American Cancer Society.

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