The surgical management of recurrent carcinoma of the vulva.

One hundred and two patients with recurrent vulvar cancer were treated with surgical re-excision. At follow-up 57 patients (56%) were free of disease and 45 were dead of disease. The cumulative 2-year and 5-year survivals were 74% and 61%, respectively. Fifty-seven patients had a recurrence within 2 years and 27 were free of disease, 30 patients relapsed between 2-10 years of whom 21 were free of disease, 15 patients relapsed after 10 years and 9 were free of disease. At the time of recurrence progression of metastatic disease to the groin lymph nodes was found in 30 cases, and all of these patients died of disease. Fifty-seven of 72 patients remained free of disease when the lymph nodes were not involved (P < .00001). Radical excision of localized recurrent vulvar cancer provides acceptable survival results when the regional lymph nodes are not involved.