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Cancer of the vulva

The vulva is the name given to a woman’s external sexual organs. The vulva is made up of two pairs of lips. The outer pair is called the labia majora and the inner pair is called the labia minora. The term vulva also includes the clitoris and the outer part of the vagina.

Cancer may occur in any part of the vulva. The most common sites are the edges of the inner and outer lips. Less often, vulval cancer may affect the clitoris, or the two small glands either side of the vagina called the Bartholins glands. Occasionally it is diagnosed in the skin that divides the vulva from the anus (the perineum).

Relative to other forms of cancer, vulval cancer is rare. There are about 1,000 diagnosed cases in the UK each year.