Epidemiologie maligner Erkrankungen der Vagina und Vulva

Vulvar and vaginal cancers are rare diseases, the incidence of which increases with rising age. The epidemiological data are weak. For vulvar carcinoma, incidence is calculated as 2–7/100,000 women; for vaginal carcinoma, it is 0.6–1/100,000 women. Cases of these cancers, especially of intraepithelial neoplasia, have increased greatly since the 1970s. The median age of affliction is 72 years for vulvar cancer and 74 years for vaginal carcinoma. In women younger than 50 years, these cancers tend to be associated with human papillomavirus (HPV), which implies a coincidence of about 20% with cervical and anal cancer. In cases of women older than 50 years, other pathomechanisms are the origin. Due to different sexual behaviors and an increased rate of HPV infection among younger women, a rising incidence of both diseases is to be expected. The age-standardized mortality for vulvar carcinoma in Europe is 0.7/100,000 women and for vaginal carcinoma is 0.4/100,000 women. It remains to be seen to what extent HPV vaccination will affect incidence and mortality.