Pap smear follow ups are recommended at 3 month intervals in the first year following surgery. Diagnosis is accomplishes by visual observation of a growth on the vulva with a biopsy for definitive determination. Almost all patients have visible lesions. Benign tumors of the vulva are treated by surgical removal, while malignant forms may require wide excision and laser vaporization therapy. The incidence of cancerous vulvular disease is decreasing in all women.
Successful therapy is enhanced by early detection through regular self-examination.
Symptoms consist of persistent vaginal discharge and bleeding. The primary method of diagnosis is by physical examination with identification of a mass on the vagina which bleeds easily upon manipulation. Malignancy in the cervix must be ruled out in the differential diagnosis. With vaginal carcinoma, cancers of the rectum and bladder are often involved. Early stage vaginal cancer can be effectively treated with radical hysterectomy although most later stage cases require radiation therapy.