A Thirty-year Review of Vulvar Cancer in Jamaica, 1978 to 2007

Objective: To evaluate the trends in vulvar cancer between 1978 and 2007 in Kingston and St Andrew, Jamaica, with respect to age-standardized rates and histologic types. Methods: All cases of vulvar cancer recorded in the Jamaica Cancer Registry from 1978 to 2007 were extracted and analysed for age distribution and histologic type. Results: There were 78 cases (one person of unknown age) of vulvar cancer recorded over the 30-year period. Sixty per cent of the affected patients were between 50 and 80 years old. The most common histologic type of vulvar malignancy was squamous cell carcinoma (82%). There was a decline in age-standardized incidence rates of both vulvar cancers overall and vulvar squamous cell carcinoma over the 30-year period. Conclusion: Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common vulvar malignancy in the Jamaican population, and affects primarily older women. Despite high prevalence rates of high-risk human papillomavirus infection, no increase in the age-standardized incidence of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma was identified.