A stage Ia vulvar carcinoma with an inguinal lymph node recurrence after local excision. A case report and literature review.

A patient with a stage Ia vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (< 1 mm invasion) is reported in which an inguinal recurrence one and a half years after partial radical vulvectomy and superficial inguinal lymph node sampling was noted. After the initial biopsy showing a tumor invading 0.3 mm into the stroma, residual tumor could not be shown in the vulvectomy specimen nor in the superficial lymph nodes. A review of the literature indicates that this is only the second reported case of stage Ia vulvar carcinoma with lymph node metastases.