'My Vulva Has Changed Color: Could it be Vulvar Cancer?'

According to the American Cancer Society, vulvar cancer accounts for about 6% of cancers of the female reproductive organs and 0.7% of all cancers in women.

In the United States, women have a 1 in 333 chance of developing vulvar cancer at some point during their life. In 2022, about 6,330 women will be diagnosed with vulvar cancer, and 1,560 women are expected to die from this cancer.

Related: A 44-Year-Old New Orleans Woman Was Told That Her Skin Lesions Were an STD, But She Challenged Her Doctors and Turned Out to be Right. She Had Vulvar Cancer.

Signs & Symptoms

As previously mentioned, if your vulva has changed color, it could be a sign of a specific type of vulvar cancer. (More on the other types in a bit.)

The specific type of disease that causes a discolored vulva is called invasive squamous cell cancer of the vulva, and according to ACS, some of the symptoms include:

• An area on the vulva that looks different from normal; it could be lighter or darker than the normal skin around it, or look red or pink.
• A bump or lump, which could be red, pink, or white and could have a wart-like or raw surface or feel rough or thick
• Thickening of the skin of the vulva
• Itching
• Pain or burning
• Bleeding or discharge not related to the normal menstrual period
• An open sore (especially if it lasts for a month or more)

Types of Vulvar Cancer

In addition to invasive squamous cell cancer of the vulva, there are other types of vulvar cancer, which include:

Adenocarcinoma

Cancer that starts in gland cells is called adenocarcinoma.

This type of vulvar cancer is uncommon. In fact, only about 8 of every 100 vulvar cancers are adenocarcinomas, according to ACS.

Most of the time, vulvar adenocarcinomas start in cells of the Bartholin glands. (These glands are found just inside the opening of the vagina.)

However, it should be noted that Bartholin gland cancer is easily mistaken for a cyst (build-up of fluid in the gland), so it's unfortunately rather common for it to take awhile to get an accurate diagnosis.

Melanoma

Melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer that starts in the pigment-producing cells that give skin color.

While this type of cancer is much more likely to appear on sun-exposed areas of the skin, it can start in other areas, such as the vulva.

This type of vulvar cancer is rare, according to ACS, making up about 6 of every 100 vulvar cancers even less than vulvar adenocarcinomas.

Sarcoma

Sarcoma cancers start in the cells of your bones, muscles or connective tissue.

Related: Sarcoma survivor Kara Ladd finds solace in reiki, meditation and energy healing during her cancer treatment.

This type of vulvar cancer is even more rare than the two aforementioned types, making up less than 2 of every 100 cases.

Unlike other cancers of the vulva, vulvar sarcomas can occur in females at any age, including in childhood, according to ACS.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, is more often found on sun-exposed areas of the skin.

Unlike melanoma, it's very unlikely to develop on a woman's vulva, but it can happen, making this type of vulvar cancer the most rare.

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