Clinical Staging of Carcinoma of the Vulva

Requirements for the successful clinical staging of carcinoma are reviewed and previous recommendations for carcinoma of the vulva found to be deficient. Staging criteria as defined by The International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO) and recommended for use subsequent to January 1971, applied retrospectively to 164 patients with invasive epidermoid carcinoma of the vulva, were found to be applicable clinically and valid. The rationale for these criteria and their advantages over previous proposals are reviewed in an effort to promote both a better understanding of the staging and its wider application in planning and reporting the results of treatment.