Malignant tumors of the female lower genital tract, particularly cervical (CC) and vulvar (VC) cancer, are aggressive tumors that require increasingly expert multidisciplinary management. Less frequent diseases include adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix, cervical adenosquamous carcinomas, vulvar Paget's disease (VPD), and vulvar melanomas or sarcomas. For a long time, CC has globally represented the most frequent form of cancer for women. According to the “Global Cancer Statistics 2020” report, CC ranks fourth among the most common cancers in women, with greater frequency in developing countries and in women aged 35 to 55 years old, while VC is rarer and more frequent in women over 70. Risk factors for the development of cervical cancer are the persistence of the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the early onset of sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, genital infections, immune system diseases or chronic therapies that lower the immune defenses. However, the mortality rate is decreasing thanks to earlier diagnoses obtained through screening programs and vaccination against HPV.

The choice of treatment depends on several factors, above all, on the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Surgery is the main treatment for early CC and VC stages. Both external radiotherapy/brachytherapy and chemotherapy are used to improve or strengthen the surgical outcome, while in the case of locally advanced or metastatic CC and VC, they represent the first or the only treatment strategy. New lines of research are shedding light on biomolecular mechanisms of oncogenesis, to identify possible therapeutic targets. Immunotherapy is being studied for the treatment of CC and VC as a new therapeutic strategy, as in the case of pembrolizumab for PDL-1 positive persistent, recurrent, or metastatic CC, while erlotinib represents a possibility of treatment in advanced VC.

The future of gynecological oncology and pathology is promising and we have excellent results: between 80% and 90% of cases are resolved with non-invasive surgery, be it laparoscopic, robotic or vaginal, which contributes to improving the quality of life of our patients. However, it is necessary to add new prognostic and predictive biomarkers to increase early diagnosis and prognosis, as well as new molecular and immunological therapies to personalize the therapeutic protocol for each patient.

This Special Issue seeks contributions that enhance our comprehension of the best surgical and pharmacological treatment of CC and VC, also focusing on their molecular landscape. Potential areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
● Presurgical evaluation and surgical treatment of CC and VC.
● Molecular features with prognostic or predictive significance in CC and VC.
● Novel biomarkers in CC and VC.

Even though abstract submission is not mandatory, we encourage all interested researchers to submit an abstract before submitting their manuscript. Abstracts do not have to coincide with the final abstract of the manuscripts. For authors, please review the journal's information regarding Author Guidelines and Article Processing Charges, or direct any questions to the Editorial Office: por@por-journal.com.

Article types and fees

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Commentary
• Guideline
• Hypothesis & Theory
• Letter to the Editor
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Commentary
• Guideline
• Hypothesis & Theory
• Letter to the Editor
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Cervical Cancer, Vulvar Cancer, Gynecological Cancer, Immunotherapy, Radiotherapy, Molecular Pattern