Objective: Primary carcinoma of the Bartholin gland is a rare malignancy that accounts for approximately 5% of vulvar carcinomas. The aim of the study was to compare the outcomes of women with primary Bartholin gland carcinoma (BGC) with those with non-Bartholin gland-related vulvar carcinoma.
Materials and methods: A retrospective chart review of 429 patients with invasive vulvar carcinoma evaluated at a single institution between 1993 and 2011 was performed. Medical records were reviewed for demographic data, pathologic information, treatment type, and recurrence/outcome information. These variables were compared between patients with primary BGC and patients with non-Bartholin gland-related vulvar carcinoma.
Results: Thirty-three (7.7%) of the 429 patients with invasive vulvar carcinoma had primary carcinoma of the Bartholin gland. Twenty-nine patients (87.9%) had squamous cell histology and 4 patients (12.1%) had adenocarcinoma. When compared with non-Bartholin gland-related vulvar carcinoma, patients with primary BGC had a younger age at diagnosis (median, 57 vs 63 years; P = 0.045), had a higher rate of stage III/IV disease (60.6% vs 35.8%; P = 0.008), and were more likely to receive radiation therapy (78.8% vs 43.9%; P < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups with regard to histologic subtype, lymphovascular space involvement, perineural invasion, positive margins, recurrence-free survival, or overall survival.
Conclusions: Despite being diagnosed at a more advanced stage, patients with primary carcinoma of the Bartholin gland seem to have similar oncologic outcomes and survival rates to patients with non-Bartholin gland-related vulvar carcinoma.