Surgery is the most common treatment of cancer of the vulva. Lymph nodes may also be removed. Laser surgery uses a narrow beam of light to remove cancer cells. Simple vulvectomy takes out the entire vulva, but no lymph nodes.
Partial vulvectomy takes out less than the entire vulva.
Radical vulvectomy takes out the entire vulva. Radiation may be used alone or before or after surgery. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Drugs may be given by mouth, or they may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body.