Hospitalization in Spain associated with malignant neoplasias of the vulva and vagina (1997-2008)

An important percentage of vulvar and vaginal cancers may be attributed to infections by the human papillomavirus. Although the incidence of invasive vulvar and vaginal cancers is low, it has remained stable over the past years. Hospital discharges related to malignant neoplasias and in situ carcinomas of the vulva and vagina from 1997 to 2008 were selected from the Minimum Data Set of the Ministry of Health in Spain. 17,883 hospital admissions related to vulvar and vaginal malignant neoplasias and 2,185 admissions related to in situ carcinomas of the vulva and vagina were gathered, with a hospitalization rate of 7,054 and 0.862 discharges per 100,000 women/year, respectively. The mean age of patients was 57 (SD:18) years, and the mean length of hospital stay was 8 (SD:10) days. There was a statistically significant increase in the hospitalization rate for malignant neoplasias and in situ carcinomas with increasing patient age. This increase was significant for all locations. Overall, there was a case fat...