Cancer Stat Facts: Vulvar Cancer

At a Glance

Rate of New Cases and Deaths per 100,000: The rate of new cases of vulvar cancer was 2.5 per 100,000 women per year. The death rate was 0.6 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2016–2020 cases and deaths.

Lifetime Risk of Developing Cancer: Approximately 0.3 percent of women will be diagnosed with vulvar cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2017–2019 data.

How Many People Survive 5 Years Or More after Being Diagnosed with Vulvar Cancer?

Relative survival is an estimate of the percentage of patients who would be expected to survive the effects of their cancer. It excludes the risk of dying from other causes. Because survival statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. No two patients are entirely alike, and treatment and responses to treatment can vary greatly.

5-Year
Relative Survival

69.6%

Based on data from SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA) 2013–2019. Gray figures represent those who have died from vulvar cancer. Green figures represent those who have survived 5 years or more.

Survival by Stage

Cancer stage at diagnosis, which refers to extent of a cancer in the body, determines treatment options and has a strong influence on the length of survival. In general, if the cancer is found only in the part of the body where it started it is localized (sometimes referred to as stage 1). If it has spread to a different part of the body, the stage is regional or distant. The earlier vulvar cancer is caught, the better chance a person has of surviving five years after being diagnosed. For vulvar cancer, 58.9% are diagnosed at the local stage. The 5-year relative survival for localized vulvar cancer is 85.6%.

How Common Is This Cancer?

Compared to other cancers, vulvar cancer is rare.

Rank	Common Types of Cancer	Estimated New Cases 2023	Estimated Deaths 2023
1.	Breast Cancer (Female)	297,790	43,170
2.	Prostate Cancer	288,300	34,700
3.	Lung and Bronchus Cancer	238,340	127,070
4.	Colorectal Cancer	153,020	52,550
5.	Melanoma of the Skin	97,610	7,990
6.	Bladder Cancer	82,290	16,710
7.	Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer	81,800	14,890
8.	Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	80,550	20,180
9.	Uterine Cancer	66,200	13,030
10.	Pancreatic Cancer	64,050	50,550
	-	-	-
28.	Vulvar Cancer	6,470	1,670

Vulvar cancer represents 0.3% of all new cancer cases in the U.S.

0.3%

In 2023, it is estimated that there will be 6,470 new cases of vulvar cancer and an estimated 1,670 people will die of this disease.

Who Gets This Cancer?

Vulvar cancer is rare. It is more common among women with a medical history of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, or genital warts. The rate of new cases of vulvar cancer was 2.5 per 100,000 women per year based on 2016–2020 cases, age-adjusted.

Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity: Vulvar Cancer

Males

All Races	Sex-specific cancer type
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander
Non-Hispanic Black
Non-Hispanic White

Females

All Races	2.5
Hispanic	1.8
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	2.3
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander	1.0
Non-Hispanic Black	1.9
Non-Hispanic White	3.0

• All Races
• Hispanic
• Non-Hispanic American Indian/
  Alaska Native
• Non-Hispanic Asian /
  Pacific Islander
• Non-Hispanic Black
• Non-Hispanic White

SEER 22 2016–2020, Age-Adjusted

Who Dies From This Cancer?

For vulvar cancer, death rates increase with age. The death rate was 0.6 per 100,000 women per year based on 2016–2020, age-adjusted.

Death Rate per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity: Vulvar Cancer

Males

All Races	Sex-specific cancer type
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander
Non-Hispanic Black
Non-Hispanic White

Females

All Races	0.6
Hispanic	0.3
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	0.4
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander	0.2
Non-Hispanic Black	0.4
Non-Hispanic White	0.7

• All Races
• Hispanic
• Non-Hispanic American Indian/
  Alaska Native
• Non-Hispanic Asian /
  Pacific Islander
• Non-Hispanic Black
• Non-Hispanic White

U.S. 2016–2020, Age-Adjusted

Changes Over Time

Keeping track of new cases, deaths, and survival over time (trends) can help scientists understand whether progress is being made and where additional research is needed to address challenges, such as improving screening or finding better treatments.

Using statistical models for analysis, age-adjusted rates for new vulvar cancer cases have been rising on average 0.6% each year over 2010–2019. Age-adjusted death rates have been rising on average 2.6% each year over 2011–2020. 5-year relative survival trends are shown below.

Cancer and the Vulva

Vulvar cancer forms in a woman's external genitalia. The vulva includes:

• Inner and outer lips of the vagina.
• Clitoris (sensitive tissue between the lips).
• Opening of the vagina and its glands.
• Mons pubis (the rounded area in front of the pubic bones that becomes covered with hair at puberty).
• Perineum (the area between the vulva and the anus)

Vulvar cancer most often affects the outer vaginal lips. Less often, cancer affects the inner vaginal lips, clitoris, or vaginal glands.

Vulvar cancer usually forms slowly over a number of years. Abnormal cells can grow on the surface of the vulvar skin for a long time. This condition is called vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN). Because it is possible for VIN to become vulvar cancer, it is very important to get treatment.

Additional Information

• Learn more about vulvar cancer

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about vulvar cancer.

• More about risk factors for vulvar cancer
• More about symptoms and diagnosis of vulvar cancer
• More about treatment options for vulvar cancer
• More about clinical trials
• More about cancer prevention

References

All statistics in this report are based on statistics from SEER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Most can be found within SEER*Explorer.

Suggested Citation

All material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Vulvar Cancer. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/vulva.html