INTRODUCTION: Younger women are particularly affected by the increase in the incidence of vulvar cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate how clinical characteristics differ depending on the patient´s age and what role the age of initial diagnosis plays in the prognosis. Patients and Methods: Included patients were divided into groups aged below or above 50 years. The disease-free survival (DFS) was calculated and a multivariate discriminant analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Of the 300 patients, 79 were ≤50 years and 221 were >50 years. The median age was 64 years (19-96 years). There were no differences between the groups regarding lymph node (LN) status and distant metastasis, but T1 tumours were more frequent in patients ≤50 years (77% vs. 62%, p = 0.02). The DFS only differed between the groups when there were no LN metastases. The nodal status was the predominant prognostic factor for the DFS regardless of age. In node-free patients, the 5-year DFS was 49% for the ≤50 years group and 89% for the >50 years group (p = 0.008), whereas there was no difference if a LN was involved. CONCLUSION: In node-free patients, the risk for recurrence is lower for patients older than 50 years.
INTRODUCTION: Younger women are particularly affected by the increase in the incidence of vulvar cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate how clinical characteristics differ depending on the patient´s age and what role the age of initial diagnosis plays in the prognosis. Patients and Methods: Included patients were divided into groups aged below or above 50 years. The disease-free survival (DFS) was calculated and a multivariate discriminant analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Of the 300 patients, 79 were ≤50 years and 221 were >50 years. The median age was 64 years (19-96 years). There were no differences between the groups regarding lymph node (LN) status and distant metastasis, but T1 tumours were more frequent in patients ≤50 years (77% vs. 62%, p = 0.02). The DFS only differed between the groups when there were no LN metastases. The nodal status was the predominant prognostic factor for the DFS regardless of age. In node-free patients, the 5-year DFS was 49% for the ≤50 years group and 89% for the >50 years group (p = 0.008), whereas there was no difference if a LN was involved. CONCLUSION: In node-free patients, the risk for recurrence is lower for patients older than 50 years.