Cancer of the Vulva (also called vulval or vulvar cancer)

The vulva is the triangle between a woman's legs that is sometimes called her front bottom and this is the external genitalia, the sex organs of a woman. The vulva consists of an outer pair of lips (skin folds) called labia majora and an inner pair of lips called labia minora. The opening to the vagina lies in between these lips and so does the opening to the urethra, which is the canal where the urine comes out from the bladder. At the front of the vulva, partly hidden by the labia minora is a small organ called the clitoris. Cancer of the vulva can develop in any part of the vulva but most commonly it starts on the inside of the labia majora and the labia minora. Cancer develops when cells in the vulval area grows out of control and become abnormal and form a cancerous growth. Vulval cancer is rare, it develops gradually and is more common in older women. There are many different factors that increase a woman´s risk of developing vulval cancer. We know that Human Papilloma Viruses (HPV) is one important factor. There are many different types of Human Papilloma Viruses and most are transmitted through sexual contact. It is very common for sexually active women to become infected with HPV sometime in the lifetime. For most women the virus goes away without any treatment and doesn´t cause any harm, but some of the virus types can lead to the development of vulval cancer. Amongst other risk factors it has also been found that smoking increases the risk of developing vulval cancer. There are different types of vulval cancer and you may want to find out more about a specific type.

To help you find reliable information, we have linked to Maggie’s CancerLinks where you will be signposted to high quality information about cancer of the vulva. The information on these websites is not written specifically for young people but it is written using simple language in a way that most people will be able to understand. Don’t worry if there are lots of links to different websites. Have a look on the description of the links and very often you will find the information you are searching for on the first website that you look at. If you just want general information about cancer you could read the ‘About cancer’ section on riprap.

Remember that the information on these sites is general. Within each cancer type, there are different variations, different stages, different treatments and people may also respond differently to the same treatments. Each person is an individual and because of this, generic information may not fit the situation you are thinking of. Often your parents or someone else who knows the details can answer your questions best. Also, please feel free to get in touch with us here at riprap. We can help you sorting through information or discuss things you’ve heard or read or anything at all that’s on your mind.

Don’t forget that there are lots of effective treatments for cancer these days and many cancers can be completely cured. There are also very good treatments to control cancers that cannot be cured and research is going on all the time to find new treatments that can control and cure cancers. 

Page updated 13 July 2017