Need help understanding vin iii

angel_eyes
angel_eyes Member Posts: 5
in Gynecological Cancers (other than ovarian and uterine) #1
I was recently diagnosed with vin iii. My doc did a wide excision and when i went to see him for pos-op check a week after surgery he informed me that he found additional sites on both labia where it seemed vin iii was present. He said I did not need to see a gyno-onco due to the fact that it was only vin iii and not cancer. The surgery was awful and I don't want to think of the possibility of future surgery, but I know I can't ignore this. I have a wonderful family who are very supportive, but they are just as confused as I am. My doc said that he wants me to use a creme to try and remove the additional sites that he found to avoid surgery and just keeps telling me "it's ONLY vin iii, not cancer" so I shouldn't worry about it so much. I have just recently graduated from college and starting a new career but I don't know if I should put things on hold until I get this under control. I would love to hear from someone who has gone through this and get some feedback. Thank you so much for your help.

Comments

  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #2
    Is the creme effudex?
    If so it is a reasonable treatment for VIN. VIN is "vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia", a fancy way of saying it is precancerous, not cancer. The III simply is used to denote that the process is fairly far along the spectrum from normal through mild change through severe change which preceeds cancer. It frequently arises in multiple sites.

    I wouldn't argue with any of the standard treatments, and there are a number of them. Excision, laser, Mohs chemosurgery, bichloroacetic acid, effudex cream are among the more commonly employed. What I would be concerned about is whether you are seeing the right doctor to clearly distinguish between VIN III and cancer itself.

    Many gynecologists are adept at distinguishing these diseases. Some never developed complete comfort, and refer these patients to gyn oncology. It would be an extermely rare family doctor who has the training and experience to do this.

    The creams are used at home. Generally the technique is taught in the office, and then the patient applies herself for an interval and is periodically reexamined. There would be no reason to expect that this would interfere with work function.

    Hope this helps.
  • angel_eyes
    angel_eyes Member Posts: 5
    #3
    longtermsurvivor said:

    Is the creme effudex?
    If so it is a reasonable treatment for VIN. VIN is "vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia", a fancy way of saying it is precancerous, not cancer. The III simply is used to denote that the process is fairly far along the spectrum from normal through mild change through severe change which preceeds cancer. It frequently arises in multiple sites.

    I wouldn't argue with any of the standard treatments, and there are a number of them. Excision, laser, Mohs chemosurgery, bichloroacetic acid, effudex cream are among the more commonly employed. What I would be concerned about is whether you are seeing the right doctor to clearly distinguish between VIN III and cancer itself.

    Many gynecologists are adept at distinguishing these diseases. Some never developed complete comfort, and refer these patients to gyn oncology. It would be an extermely rare family doctor who has the training and experience to do this.

    The creams are used at home. Generally the technique is taught in the office, and then the patient applies herself for an interval and is periodically reexamined. There would be no reason to expect that this would interfere with work function.

    Hope this helps.

    Yes, that is the cream he
    Yes, that is the cream he wants to start me on.

    Thank you so much for the information. It is so difficult to find accurate information regarding this condition. The treatment options are so confusing and I have been trying to be as informed as possible so I know what questions to ask and know how to prepare myself for the next step.

    Thank you again for your help and the information you have shared.
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #4
    angel_eyes said:

    Yes, that is the cream he
    Yes, that is the cream he wants to start me on.

    Thank you so much for the information. It is so difficult to find accurate information regarding this condition. The treatment options are so confusing and I have been trying to be as informed as possible so I know what questions to ask and know how to prepare myself for the next step.

    Thank you again for your help and the information you have shared.

    You will do fine
    and you will not get cancer. This is reasonable treatment, and should work fine for you. You will need long-term follow-up. That will actually be a very key component to not having problems later. Imagine, for just a moment, what your future had in store for you had you not gotten your exam....

    That would have been a definite problem.

Discussion Boards