WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

•Vulvar cancer is very rare, accounting for 0.6 per cent of all cancers in women.

•In the US, close to 5,000 women are diagnosed with vulvar cancer each year.

•The HPV vaccine can prevent the strains of HPV responsible for most cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers.

•Risk factors that may increase a woman’s chances of developing vulvar cancer include age, infection with certain types of HPV, smoking, and HIV infection.

•Symptoms of vulvar cancer include severe itching, burning and pain on the vulva.

SOURCE: Jamaica Cancer Society, Miami Cancer Institute, John Hopkins Medicine, Medical News Today