Selected epidemiological time trends of vulvar carcinoma in Israel

Recently, considerable demographic changes have occurred in Israel. The pur pose of the present population-based nationwide epidemiological study of ca rcinoma of the vulva was to assess changes over time in incidence, relative frequency, age pattern and ethnic distribution. The study group included a ll 257 Jewish females with histologically confirmed neoplasms of the vulva diagnosed in Israel during the ten year period from 1985 to 1994. Data were obtained from the Israeli Cancer Registry and compared with data from a pr evious study covering a 13 year period (1961 to 1973). The relative frequen cy of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the vulva increased significantly during t he later period (from 5.4% to 12.8%), while that of invasive vulvar carcino ma declined significantly (from 80.6% to 69.6%). Regarding invasive vulvar carcinoma, a significant decrease in the age-adjusted standardized rates an d in the mean annual incidence rate in the 70+ age group was found. The eth nic distribution pattern of invasive vulvar carcinoma did not change and re mained similar to that of cervical carcinoma, namely a trend for higher inc idence among women born in North Africa. The increased frequency of vulvar CIS is attributed mainly to a greater propensity to perform vulvar biopsies . The possibility of a consequent decline of vulvar carcinoma cannot be rul ed out.