New NCCN Guidelines published for Vulvar Cancer

It is estimated that more than 5,000 cases of Vulvar Cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2015, and approximately 1,000 women died from the disease. In order to provide comprehensive, up-to-date clinical treatment guidelines for this rare cancer, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), an alliance of 26 of the nation's leading cancer centers, has published the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Vulvar Cancer. The new NCCN Guidelines® for Vulvar Cancer provide recommendations on the evaluation and treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva and include principles of surgery, principles of radiation therapy, and systemic therapy.

NCCN Guidelines document evidence-based consensus-driven management to ensure that all patients receive preventive, diagnostic, treatment, and supportive services that are most likely to lead to optimal outcomes.

"The creation of these new guidelines represents a multidisciplinary effort to codify appropriate standards of care for patients with vulvar cancer, based on available published evidence and contemporary patterns of practice," said Wui-Jin Koh, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and Co-Chair, NCCN Guidelines Panel for Vulvar Cancer.

"These guidelines are essential to establish a standard of care for this rare disease, and serve as a platform for future investigations and improved outcomes," said Benjamin E. Greer, MD, Director of Gynecological Cancer, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and Co-Chair, NCCN Guidelines Panel for Vulvar Cancer.

With the publication of the NCCN Guidelines for Vulvar Cancer, the library of NCCN Guidelines now includes 62 clinical guidelines detailing sequential management decisions and interventions that currently apply to 97 percent of cancers affecting people in the United States, as well as cancer prevention, detection and risk reduction, and age-related recommendations.