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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staff
Avoiding risks
You can help prevent vulvar cancer by avoiding sexual behaviors that put you at risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as HPV and HIV, both conditions that increase your risk of vulvar cancer. These behaviors include not having sex at a young age, not having multiple partners, and not having sex with someone who's had multiple partners. Condoms may lessen the risk of HPV transmission, but they cannot fully protect against HPV.
In addition, a vaccine against some forms of HPV is effective in preventing vulvar cancer as well as cervical and vaginal cancers. The vaccine is currently recommended for young women as they become sexually active, and its use is being studied in young men.
Not smoking also may reduce your risk of vulvar cancer.
Having regular exams
You can help prevent invasive vulvar cancer by being aware of the signs and symptoms of vulvar cancer and having regular gynecologic exams to monitor for precancerous changes that may lead to vulvar cancer. When vulvar cancer is detected early, it's highly treatable. The overall five-year survival rate is 96 percent when the lymph nodes aren't involved. That rate drops to 64 percent if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
