What is vulvar papilloma?

Nowadays, many women suffer from gynecological diseases, many of which are bacterial diseases, such as papillary growths at the vaginal opening. The inner mucous membrane of the female vagina is resistant but also fragile. So how do papillary growths at the vaginal opening come about? How should women keep themselves clean? Let us explain it to you below.

The papilloma seen clinically is not actually a true papilloma, but simply has the shape of a nipple. True papilloma is mainly epithelial hyperplasia with a broad base or a short pedicle. The typical surface of a papilloma has numerous nipple protrusions, which are small, numerous, and slightly hard. The papillae of verrucous papilloma are fine and dense, like cauliflower or warts, and have a hard texture. The disease mostly affects elderly women, and the lesions grow slowly and are asymptomatic. There may be a history of vulvar pain and itching. The lesions often occur on the labia majora, mons pubis, clitoris or around the anus. It can be single or multiple, and can occasionally reach a diameter of 4 to 5 cm.

The typical microscopic finding is stratified squamous epithelium, sometimes with hyperplasia and thickening of the spinous cell layer, and the epithelial spikes become thicker and extend into the fibrous connective tissue of the dermis; in verrucous papilloma, the epithelial spinous layer is thickened, but there are no obvious spikes, and the basement membrane is straight.

When diagnosing papilloma, biopsy is used to determine its nature and rule out malignant transformation. It should be differentiated from vulvar warts and vulvar cancer. The former has a history of inflammation and special infection, while the latter has symptoms such as itching, pain, and ulcers. At the same time, it must be distinguished from soft fibroma. Soft fibroma is a tumor characterized by proliferation of fibrous connective tissue, and is also common in the labia majora. The tumor is generally 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter, often with a pedicle. The tumor is spherical and has many wrinkles on the surface.

People generally do not consider the sexual function issues of patients with gynecological tumors, but clinicians often encounter patients who are embarrassed by this. The discomfort caused by various gynecological tumors can lead to sexual difficulties. Sexual problems can be caused by mechanical compression of tumors, tissue necrosis, secondary infection or pain during sexual intercourse caused by surgical effects, or by aesthetic and psychological considerations. Regardless of the situation, it is necessary to make correct evaluations and find appropriate treatment methods. But attempting to completely and satisfactorily resolve sexual dysfunction is generally impossible.

Vulvar epidermoid carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma) mainly occurs in postmenopausal women and accounts for more than 90% of vulvar malignant tumors. Many patients with epidermoid carcinoma have vulvar leukoplakia lesions before the tumor develops (under the microscope, the tissue changes are obvious precancerous lesions, and the macroscopic characteristics are uneven gray-white lesions, which can also appear erythematous or edematous). Other malignant tumors, such as adenocarcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma, are rarely seen in the vulva.

From the above, we can see that women's health issues are very important. Papillary growths at the vaginal opening are a type of fungal pathogen. Therefore, women should be extremely careful and pay attention to their personal hygiene, take a bath and change underwear frequently, and expose their clothes to the sun more often. They should also exercise more every day to enhance their resistance and avoid being disturbed by germs.