CausesBy Mayo Clinic staff It's not clear what causes vulvar
cancer. In general, doctors know that cancer begins when a cell
develops mutations in its DNA. The mutations allow the cell to
grow and divide rapidly. The cell and its offspring go on living
when other normal cells would die. The accumulating cells form a
tumor that may be cancerous, invading nearby tissue and
spreading to other parts of the body. Types of vulvar cancer The
type of cell in which vulvar cancer begins helps your doctor
plan the most effective treatment plan. The most common types of
vulvar cancer include: - Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma. This
cancer begins in the thin, flat cells that line the surface of
the vulva. Most vulvar cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. -
Vulvar melanoma. This cancer begins in the pigment-producing
cells found in the skin of the vulva. - Abeloff MD, et al.
Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.:
Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008.
http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-4/0/1709