Vulvar cancer

Vulvar cancer care at Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic doctors are experts in diagnosing and treating vulvar cancer.

Your Mayo Clinic care team

At Mayo Clinic, doctors from different specialties work as a team to provide comprehensive care for people with vulvar cancer. Your care team may include:

• Gynecologic oncologists
• Radiation oncologists
• Medical oncologists
• Plastic surgeons
• Pathologists
• Radiologists
• Other specialists, as needed

Advanced diagnosis and treatment

Mayo Clinic doctors will work with you to review all of your treatment options and choose the treatment that best suits your needs and goals. At Mayo Clinic, you have access to:

• A full range of treatment options. You and your care team can carefully consider all of the available treatment options for your cancer. The range of treatments offered for vulvar cancer includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy and many types of surgical procedures, such as wide local excision, partial vulvectomy, radical vulvectomy, lymph node removal, sentinel node biopsy and reconstructive surgery.
• Skilled surgeons. Mayo Clinic surgeons work to ensure your vulvar cancer treatment preserves the cosmetic appearance and function of your vulva. Surgery involves removing the smallest amount of tissue necessary to successfully remove the cancer. When it's necessary to remove lymph nodes, surgeons remove only as many as they need to ensure all the cancer has been removed.
• Highly targeted radiation therapy. Mayo Clinic radiation oncologists use the latest techniques in treatment planning and delivery to carefully shape radiation beams. This ensures that the maximum dose of radiation treatment reaches the target area, while sparing nearby healthy tissue. Advanced technology includes 3D conformal radiation, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and proton therapy.

Expertise and rankings

Mayo Clinic doctors are respected for their expertise in diagnosing and treating vulvar cancer and other rare types of cancer. When you seek care at Mayo Clinic, you can expect:

• Personalized care. At Mayo Clinic, gynecologic oncologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and plastic surgeons work as a team to create a comprehensive treatment plan that ensures all of your individual needs are met.
• Experience you can trust. Mayo Clinic doctors have extensive experience diagnosing and treating rare cancers, including vulvar cancer. Each year, more than 240 people with vulvar cancer seek care at Mayo Clinic.
• Nationally recognized expertise. Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center meets the strict standards for a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center, which recognize scientific excellence and a multispecialty approach focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report.

Locations, travel and lodging

Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.

For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:

Costs and insurance

Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.

In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals, or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.

Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.

Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.

Living with vulvar cancer?

Connect with others like you for support and answers to your questions in the Gynecologic Cancers support group on Mayo Clinic Connect, a patient community.

Gynecologic Cancers Discussions

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