Vulvar Cancer
How We Can Help You
With a rare cancer like vulvar cancer, it is comforting to work with doctors who have experience treating this uncommon disease. At the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, your dedicated team is here for you, helping you make informed decisions and supporting you through treatment and beyond.
Care and treatment of vulvar cancer is provided by the Stanford Gynecologic Cancer Program in the internationally recognized Stanford Women’s Cancer Center.
WHAT WE OFFER YOU FOR VULVAR CANCER
- Nationally recognized expertise in treating every stage and subtype of vulvar cancer.
- Precise diagnosis options that combine advanced biopsy and imaging technologies with the expertise of pathologists and radiologists specially trained in vulvar cancer.
- Team-based treatment planning, including weekly meetings that bring together specialists from gynecologic oncology, radiation oncology, and other disciplines to tailor care to your needs.
- Advanced treatment options, including advanced radiation procedures and surgical techniques.
- Tumor genomic profiling services to target the genetic fingerprint of hard-to-treat cancers using precision therapies available only through clinical trials.
- Comprehensive support services, including care coordination, counseling, and nutrition services.
INTERESTED IN AN ONLINE SECOND OPINION?
The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. It’s all done remotely, and you don’t have to visit our hospital or one of our clinics for this service. You don’t even need to leave home!
Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.
Comprehensive Care & Treatment for Vulvar Cancer
Our Gynecologic Cancer program is located in the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, a warm and welcoming care setting dedicated solely to treating gynecologic and breast cancer.
At the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, you work with doctors who are committed to understanding your condition and day-to-day life. Weekly Tumor Board meetings bring together experts from multiple disciplines to review cases that require more complex recommendations. We create advanced treatment options focused on treating cancer while minimizing the negative effects on the body and preserving your anatomy.
We further personalize your treatment plan by matching our support services to the unique needs of you and your family. Learn more about our support services
In the Stanford Gynecologic Cancer Program, we have learned that a less-is-more approach to treating vulvar cancer can be highly effective.
Newly Diagnosed
Recurrent & Metastatic
Treatment & Wellness Care
The Stanford Gynecologic Cancer Program provides the highest level of personalized care, working closely with you to develop a treatment path that addresses your medical, physical, emotional, and social needs. Our goal with treatment is to cure vulvar cancer, while minimizing the effect of treatment on your body.
We are one of the few cancer centers with the ability to do sentinel lymph node mapping for vulvar cancer. This technique allows us to see if the cancer has spread, and if it has not, we will not remove lymph nodes unnecessarily.
Surgical Therapy
Our doctors use minimally invasive techniques to remove tumors and minimize the chance of the cancer coming back. Plastic surgery may be an option for vulvar reconstruction. Surgical therapies include:
- Excision surgery: cancer cells and a small amount of normal-appearing skin around the cancer are removed.
- Vulvectomy: surgical removal of all or part of the vulva.
- Lymphadenectomy: evaluation of lymph nodes, including sentinel lymph node mapping
Radiation Therapy
Our radiation oncologists use advanced techniques to target optimal treatment doses to the vulva while limiting the exposure of nearby healthy tissue. If needed, radiation therapy for vulvar cancer is available:
- External Radiation (external beam therapy)
Medical Therapy
Medical therapy is less common with early-stage disease, but depending on your specific cancer, your doctor may discuss medical therapies with you, including:
- Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy and radiation—a regimen of radiation therapy and low-dose chemotherapy given at the same time.
Treatment & Wellness Care
With an advanced-stage cancer, you want to know you have an experienced care team on your side. At Stanford Health Care, we look at each woman’s individual cancer to determine the best combination of therapies to give you the best chance of survival.
We draw from our advanced diagnosis options and scientific expertise to determine the most effective treatment for even the most complex cases. We might recommend combining multiple therapies to address your specific needs.
Surgical Therapy
Our doctors use minimally invasive techniques to surgically remove tumors and minimize the chance of the cancer coming back. Plastic surgery may be an option for vulvar reconstruction. Chemotherapy and radiation might be used before surgery to shrink the tumor to reduce the amount of tissue that needs removal.
- Excision surgery: the cancer cells and a small amount of normal-appearing skin around the cancer are removed.
- Vulvectomy: surgical removal of all or part of the vulva.
Radiation Oncology
Our radiation oncologists are experienced in treating vulvar cancer and use the most advanced techniques to target optimal treatment doses to the vulva, while limiting exposure to nearby healthy tissue.
- External Radiation (external beam therapy)
Medical Therapy
Stanford experts are consistently on the forefront of drug development and chemotherapy options. Depending on the specific biology of your cancer, our doctors may discuss medical therapies with you, including:
- Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy and radiation—a regimen of radiation therapy and low-dose chemotherapy given at the same time
Treatment & Wellness Care
The Stanford Gynecologic Cancer Program provides the highest level of personalized care, working closely with you to develop a treatment path that addresses your medical, physical, emotional, and social needs. Our goal with treatment is to cure vulvar cancer, while minimizing the effect of treatment on your body.
We are one of the few cancer centers with the ability to do sentinel lymph node mapping for vulvar cancer. This technique allows us to see if the cancer has spread, and if it has not, we will not remove lymph nodes unnecessarily.
Surgical Therapy
Our doctors use minimally invasive techniques to remove tumors and minimize the chance of the cancer coming back. Plastic surgery may be an option for vulvar reconstruction. Surgical therapies include:
- Excision surgery: cancer cells and a small amount of normal-appearing skin around the cancer are removed.
- Vulvectomy: surgical removal of all or part of the vulva.
- Lymphadenectomy: evaluation of lymph nodes, including sentinel lymph node mapping
Radiation Therapy
Our radiation oncologists use advanced techniques to target optimal treatment doses to the vulva while limiting the exposure of nearby healthy tissue. If needed, radiation therapy for vulvar cancer is available:
- External Radiation (external beam therapy)
Medical Therapy
Medical therapy is less common with early-stage disease, but depending on your specific cancer, your doctor may discuss medical therapies with you, including:
- Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy and radiation—a regimen of radiation therapy and low-dose chemotherapy given at the same time.
close Newly Diagnosed
Treatment & Wellness Care
With an advanced-stage cancer, you want to know you have an experienced care team on your side. At Stanford Health Care, we look at each woman’s individual cancer to determine the best combination of therapies to give you the best chance of survival.
We draw from our advanced diagnosis options and scientific expertise to determine the most effective treatment for even the most complex cases. We might recommend combining multiple therapies to address your specific needs.
Surgical Therapy
Our doctors use minimally invasive techniques to surgically remove tumors and minimize the chance of the cancer coming back. Plastic surgery may be an option for vulvar reconstruction. Chemotherapy and radiation might be used before surgery to shrink the tumor to reduce the amount of tissue that needs removal.
- Excision surgery: the cancer cells and a small amount of normal-appearing skin around the cancer are removed.
- Vulvectomy: surgical removal of all or part of the vulva.
Radiation Oncology
Our radiation oncologists are experienced in treating vulvar cancer and use the most advanced techniques to target optimal treatment doses to the vulva, while limiting exposure to nearby healthy tissue.
- External Radiation (external beam therapy)
Medical Therapy
Stanford experts are consistently on the forefront of drug development and chemotherapy options. Depending on the specific biology of your cancer, our doctors may discuss medical therapies with you, including:
- Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy and radiation—a regimen of radiation therapy and low-dose chemotherapy given at the same time
close Recurrent & Metastatic
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.
To learn more about the clinical trials we offer, call 650-723-3931.
Frequently Asked Questions
When choosing a doctor, it’s important to consider the doctor’s clinical training, experience and expertise in a specialized area that matches your health care needs.
You can find the right Stanford doctor for you by using our doctor directory and filtering the results based on a medical category, specialty, or doctor’s last name. View a list of our gynecologic cancer doctors
Yes, Stanford Health Care offers financial assistance for patients who are uninsured or underinsured. Meet with one of our financial counselors to find the best approach to paying for your health care. Financial counselors are available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Learn more about financial assistance services
We offer a number of support services to support your comfort and healing, including genetic counseling, interpreter services, support groups, wig bank, nurse navigators, nutrition services, pain management, fertility preservation, financial counseling, and a variety of classes and events.
To develop a personalized plan for supportive care, just call our Cancer Care Services. A trained Cancer Care Services nurse coordinator can help assess your needs and schedule the right combination of services for you and your family. Learn more about the Cancer Care Services
You can call the clinic directly to schedule an appointment with a Stanford Health Care doctor. Call 650-498-6000 to make an appointment.
We participate in a wide range of insurance plans. View the list of insurance plans accepted by Stanford Health Care
Have insurance or pre-authorization questions? The Patient Financial Clearance team is available Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., to answer your questions. Please call 650-724-4445 or 1-877-291-7335 (toll free).
Managing treatment for gynecologic cancer is a highly personalized process. Our care team guides you every step of the way.
For your first appointment, you should plan to bring any related test results and your medical history to share with your doctor. In addition to the following New Patient Appointment Letter, our clinic receptionists will confirm the information you should bring with you prior to your first appointment.
You will also need to have the following information with you when you check in:
- Insurance card
- A form of payment for any co-pays or deductibles
- One form of photo ID:
- Valid state-issued driver’s license
- Valid state-issued ID card
- Valid passport
- Valid U.S. Military ID card
- Valid U.S. Permanent Resident Card
Most of our locations offer convenient self-parking options. For assistance getting to your appointment, the staff at Stanford Cancer Navigation Services are here to help. Please call 650-723-4268.
Please see Directions and Parking information for:
We recommend you allow enough time to park to ensure you arrive on time. Due to construction near the main hospital campus, please plan to arrive 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to your appointment time at our Palo Alto location. This will allow you plenty of time to park, locate your clinic and complete any additional paperwork.
Please print, fill out, and return the Medical Record Release Form to your new patient coordinator. The medical release form is an authorization form for external facilities to release medical records to Stanford Health Care.
Always feel free to bring someone with you to your appointments. A family member or friend can help ask questions, remember the information your care team gives you, and provide support.
By California state law, you must let your care team know that you would like to record your conversation if you would like help remembering your discussion with your care team.
Write down your questions before your appointment and rank them in order of importance, beginning with the most important ones. If there isn’t enough time to have all your questions answered during your appointment, ask your doctor who you can speak with to get your other questions answered.
Spanish interpreters are on the premises 24/7 for the Hospital and for the Emergency Department. Interpreters for other languages are on the premises during clinic business hours, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday: American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian and Vietnamese. For more information, go to Interpreter Service
We offer a number of support services to support your comfort and healing before, during and after treatment, including genetic counseling, interpreter services, support groups, wig bank, nurse navigators, nutrition services, pain management, fertility preservation, financial counseling, and a variety of classes and events.
To develop a personalized support plan, just call our Cancer Care Services A trained Cancer Care Services nurse coordinator can help assess your needs and schedule the right combination of services for you and your family. Learn more about the Cancer Care Services
Please call our clinic receptionists who are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., to help you reschedule or cancel your appointment: 650-498-6000
To determine if a clinical trial is right for you, talk to your doctor. He or she can refer you to a research coordinator for more information on studies that may be right for your specific condition.
You can also find the guidelines for who can participate in a particular clinical trial online. However, it is best to work with your doctor to decide the right care approach for your needs.
View list of open, gynecologic cancer clinical trials at Stanford
You have multiple options when it comes to paying your bill.
- Pay Online:
- You can log in to MyHealth or the MyHealth mobile app to see and pay your bill.
Already have an account but need help logging in?
Contact the MyHealth Help Desk
- You can also pay as a guest to pay your bill without logging in.
- Pay by mail:
- Stanford Health Care
P.O. Box 740715, Los Angeles, CA 90074-0715
Los Angeles, CA 90074-0715
- Stanford Health Care
- Pay by Phone:
- You can call our Patient Billing Customer Service Office
1-800-549-3720.
- You can call our Patient Billing Customer Service Office
For our latest business hours and for more information about billing, visit our Billing page.
Spanish interpreters are on the premises 24/7 for the Hospital and for the Emergency Department. Interpreters for other languages are on the premises during clinic business hours, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday: American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian and Vietnamese. For more information, go to Interpreter Service
Many of our programs are available to international patients.
Our International Medicine Services team can help you find the right doctor, estimate medical costs, book travel, and get you information about Stanford programs and services.
Please call +1 650-723-8561 or email IMS@stanfordheatlhcare.org to get started.
What Is Vulvar Cancer?
Our Clinics
The Stanford Gynecologic Cancer Program provides expert treatment for cervical, ovarian, endometrial, and other reproductive cancers. Located in the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, our program provides personalized treatment and comprehensive support.
Vulvar Cancer
Learn about vulvar cancer symptoms, causes and treatment options, including medication and surgery, from the experts at the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center in Palo Alto, CA – serving Northern, CA
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