Vulva

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This article addresses the basics of vulva, from a pathologic perspective.

Malignant neoplasms overview

Most common malignancies

Most common malignancies of vulva:[1]

  1. Invasive squamous cell carcinoma.
  2. Malignant melanoma.

Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma

Main article: Squamous cell carcinoma

Like SCC elsewhere.

  • Microinvasion: <=1 mm stromal invasion, tumour size <=2 cm (T1a).[2]
  • Depth from DE junction.

Note:

  • Tumour thickness != depth of invasion.

Precursor lesions for SCC

  • Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN).

VIN can be divided into:

  • Classic VIN, and
  • Differentiated VIN.
    • Differentiated VIN is mostly irrelevant as it is basically never seen alone, i.e. it usually accompanies cancer.

Low grade pre-cancerous lesions (VIN) are typically HPV positive, while high grade pre-cancerous lesions and cancer are less often HPV positive.[3]

Classic vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia

  • Abbreviated classic VIN.

General

Epidemiology:

  • Classic VIN, like CIN, is associated with HPV and seen in younger women.

Classic VIN is graded like cervical pre-cancerous lesions:

Microscopic

Features:

  • Increased NC ratio.
  • Multinucleation.
  • Lack of maturation to surface (not very useful -- unlike in the cervix).[5]
    • May have "vertical streaming" - the long axis of the cells are perpendicular to the free surface & basement membrane.
  • Apical mitoses.

DDx:

Images:

Differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia

  • Abbreviated dVIN.

General

Epidemiology:

Note:

Microscopic

Features:[7]

  • Thickening of the stratum spinosum (acanthosis).
  • Elongation of rete ridges with bridging/anastomoses between rete ridges.
  • Nuclear atypia - esp. basal layer.
  • Nuclei in stratum corneum (parakeratosis).
  • +/-Atypical mitoses.

Notes:

  • Not graded like classic VIN.
  • Mnemonic BAD LAP: basal cell atypia, anastomosing rete ridges (bridging), dVIN, lichen sclerosus, acanthosis, parakeratosis.

DDx:

Images:

IHC for VIN

  • Classic VIN: p16+, p53-.
  • Differentiated VIN: p16-, p53+.

ASIDE: p16 can be thought of as a poor man's HPV test.

Neoplasms (non-malignant)

A short DDx:[8]

Hidradenoma papilliferum

General

Microscopic

Features:

  • Cystic spaces.
  • Epithelium with apocrine differentiation (as demonstrated by apocrine snouts).
  • Well-circumscribed.

Images:

Notes:

  • No attachment to epidermis.
  • No nuclear changes suggestive of malignancy.

Other

This is grab bag of non-neoplastic stuffs.

Condyloma acuminatum

  • AKA genital wart.

General

Note:

Microscopic

Features:

  • Koilocytes.[12]
    • Cells with an enlarged nucleus and perinuclear clearing.
  • Papillomatosis.[13]
    • Papillomatosis = surface elevation due to dermal papillae enlargement.[14]
  • +/-Parakeratosis.

Images:

Lichen sclerosus

  • AKA chronic atrophic vulvitis - vulvar lesion.
  • AKA balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) - penile lesion.[15]

General

Clinical:

  • Pruritis -> leads to scratching.
  • Chronic condition.
  • Usu. post-menopausal women.
  • May lead to labial fusion.

Treatment:

  • Steroids - high dose initially, then a maintenance therapy to prevent relapse.

Notes:

  • Mixed vulvar dystrophy = lichen sclerosus + squamous cell hyperplasia.[16]

Microscopic

Features:[17]

  • Loss of rete ridges.
  • Severe hyperkeratosis.
    • Hyperkeratosis = stratum corneum thickened.
  • Fibrosis of dermis with loss of adnexal structures - key feature.
    • May appear pale - directly deep to the epidermis.[18]
  • Inflammation - often with eosinophils.

DDx:

Images:

Bartholin cyst

General

  • Common.
  • May become infected.

Treatment:

  • Drainage.
  • Marsupialization.

Microscopic

Features:

  • Cyst with squamous or urothelial epithelium.[19]

Images:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Humphrey, Peter A; Dehner, Louis P; Pfeifer, John D (2008). The Washington Manual of Surgical Pathology (1st ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 459. ISBN 978-0781765275.
  2. ↑ URL: http://www.cap.org/apps/docs/committees/cancer/cancer_protocols/2011/Vulva_11protocol.pdf. Accessed on: 9 March 2012.
  3. ↑ De Vuyst H, Clifford GM, Nascimento MC, Madeleine MM, Franceschi S (April 2009). "Prevalence and type distribution of human papillomavirus in carcinoma and intraepithelial neoplasia of the vulva, vagina and anus: a meta-analysis". Int. J. Cancer 124 (7): 1626–36. doi:10.1002/ijc.24116. PMID 19115209.
  4. ↑ Rufforny, I.; Wilkinson, EJ.; Liu, C.; Zhu, H.; Buteral, M.; Massoll, NA. (Apr 2005). "Human papillomavirus infection and p16(INK4a) protein expression in vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive squamous cell carcinoma.". J Low Genit Tract Dis 9 (2): 108-13. PMID 15870532.
  5. ↑ LAE. February 2009.
  6. ↑ Yang, B.; Hart, WR. (Mar 2000). "Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia of the simplex (differentiated) type: a clinicopathologic study including analysis of HPV and p53 expression.". Am J Surg Pathol 24 (3): 429-41. PMID 10716158.
  7. ↑ van de Nieuwenhof, HP.; Bulten, J.; Hollema, H.; Dommerholt, RG.; Massuger, LF.; van der Zee, AG.; de Hullu, JA.; van Kempen, LC. (Feb 2011). "Differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia is often found in lesions, previously diagnosed as lichen sclerosus, which have progressed to vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.". Mod Pathol 24 (2): 297-305. doi:10.1038/modpathol.2010.192. PMID 21057461.
  8. ↑ Humphrey, Peter A; Dehner, Louis P; Pfeifer, John D (2008). The Washington Manual of Surgical Pathology (1st ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 456. ISBN 978-0781765275. }}
  9. ↑ Hidradenoma papilliferum. Stedman's Medical Dictionary. 27th Ed.
  10. ↑ URL: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hidradenoma. Accessed on: 14 April 2011.
  11. ↑ Cotran, Ramzi S.; Kumar, Vinay; Fausto, Nelson; Nelso Fausto; Robbins, Stanley L.; Abbas, Abul K. (2005). Robbins and Cotran pathologic basis of disease (7th ed.). St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier Saunders. pp. 1067. ISBN 0-7216-0187-1.
  12. ↑ Huang, Z.; Yang, S.; Li, Q.; Yan, P.; Li, L. (Feb 2001). "[Evaluation the pathological diagnostic values of koilocyte in condyloma acuminatum].". Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi 22 (1): 58-60. PMID 11860848.
  13. ↑ Humphrey, Peter A; Dehner, Louis P; Pfeifer, John D (2008). The Washington Manual of Surgical Pathology (1st ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 204. ISBN 978-0781765275.
  14. ↑ Cotran, Ramzi S.; Kumar, Vinay; Fausto, Nelson; Nelso Fausto; Robbins, Stanley L.; Abbas, Abul K. (2005). Robbins and Cotran pathologic basis of disease (7th ed.). St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier Saunders. pp. 1230. ISBN 0-7216-0187-1.
  15. ↑ Finkbeiner AE (January 2003). "Balanitis xerotica obliterans: a form of lichen sclerosus". South. Med. J. 96 (1): 7–8. PMID 12602704.
  16. ↑ Kini, U. (Jun 1997). "Squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva in association with mixed vulvar dystrophy. A brief report with review of literature.". Indian J Cancer 34 (2): 92-5. PMID 9491669.
  17. ↑ URL: http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/vulva.html#lichensclerosis. Accessed on: 19 April 2011.
  18. ↑ URL: http://www.webpathology.com/image.asp?n=2&Case=538. Accessed on: 25 August 2011.
  19. ↑ http://pathologyoutlines.com/vulva.html#bartholincyst
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