Causes

Main causes of vulval cancer

It's not always known what causes vulval cancer.

But many vulval cancers are caused by an infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

You can get HPV from:

any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
vaginal, anal or oral sex
sharing sex toys

Some skin conditions that affect your vulva can also lead to vulval cancer. These include:

abnormal changes in the skin cells of your vulva, called vulval intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN)
lichen sclerosus
lichen planus

Who is more likely to get vulval cancer

Vulval cancer mostly affects women over 65 years old, but you can get it at any age. Anyone with a vulva can get vulval cancer.

You might also be more likely to get vulval cancer if you:

smoke
have a weakened immune system, for example if you have a health condition such as HIV or you're having treatments that affect your immune system
have had cervical cancer

Find out more

How to lower your chance of getting vulval cancer

You cannot always prevent vulval cancer. But there are things you can do to lower your chances of getting it.

These include:

getting treatment for any skin conditions that affect your vulva
using condoms, which lower your chance of getting HPV - but they do not cover all the skin around your genitals so you're not fully protected
quitting smoking - smoking can weaken your immune system and the chemicals in cigarettes can also cause cancer
eating a balanced diet to help support your immune system

For younger people, HPV vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from vulval cancer.

All children aged 12 to 13 are offered the HPV vaccine. It helps protect against all cancers caused by HPV, as well as genital warts.

It's important to get any symptoms of vulval cancer checked by a GP.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
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