Title : Recent trends in relative survival rates of vulvar and vaginal cancer: A SEER analysis from 2004 through 2022
Abstract:
Introduction: Vaginal and vulvar cancers are critical gynecologic malignancies with significant health implications for affected women. Improving survivability of these cancers is essential, as the physical and emotional toll can be profound, impacting not only quality of life but long-term health outcomes as well. Understanding survival trends for these cancers based on age, stage, and time since diagnosis can guide clinical decision-making and improve overall patient care.
Objective: To determine the survival rates of vaginal and vulvar cancer based upon age and year since diagnosis. Secondarily, to assess any differences in survivability between vaginal and vulvar cancer based upon age and stage of diagnosis.
Methods: The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) (https://seer.cancer.gov/statistics-network/explorer/) was used to determine relative survival rates of women diagnosed with vulvar and vaginal cancer from 2004 through 2022. SEER defines relative survival rates as the ratio of the observed survival in a group of cancer patients to the expected survival in a comparable group of cancer-free individuals matched by age, gender, and ethnicity. Data collected from this included year since diagnosis (one, three, five, and ten), age (<50 years, 50-64 years, <65 years), and stage (localized and regional) at diagnosis. Statistical analysis of this data was then done using either parametric tests due to the normality of the data and a statistical significance was set as a p value of less than or equal to 0.05. All data is presented as a percentage
Results: A statistically significant difference in overall survivability was observed between vulvar and vaginal cancer across all years and age groups studied. Patients with vulvar cancer demonstrated higher relative survivability compared to those with vaginal cancer (p < 0.001). Similar results were found for localized cancer, where patients with vulvar cancer demonstrated higher relative survivability compared to those with vaginal cancer at each year and age group studied (p < 0.001). For regional staging, however, there was no difference between relative survivability between vulvar and vaginal cancer at any year or age group.
Conclusion: Those with vulvar cancer have an increased rate of relative survivability as compared to those with vaginal cancer. However, there is no difference in relative survivability between regional vulvar and vaginal cancer.
