(Vulval Intraepithelial Neoplasia)
VIN is a condition where there are pre-cancer cells in the skin of the vulva. It is not cancer. But if you have VIN there is a risk that it may progress to cancer of the vulva. The most common symptoms of VIN is a severe itch or pain in the vulva, however, there may be no symptoms at all. Areas of skin affected by VIN can look thickened and reddened and also white colour can sometimes be visible.
VIN means that the pre-cancer cells are confined to the top layer of skin (epithelium) covering the vulva.
VIN is graded according to the cell changes in the following way:
· VIN I (mild changes).
· VIN II (moderate changes).
· VIN III (severe changes).
All women with VIN should be treated or at least closely monitored by a doctor because it is not possible to tell which women with VIN will develop cancer of the vulva and which won't.
It can be frustrating to find good quality and accurate information on VIN and I have used the most up to date websites to link to so you will get the quality information you need to fully understand this condition.
Cancerbackup have the best information on VIN which is easy to understand. I think you will get answers to all your questions about VIN in this section and there are also links to more information which are relevant to VIN which you may wish to read.
This information is about a skin condition called vulval intra-epithelial neoplasia, or VIN, which can affect the vulva and, in some women, may develop into cancer after many years.
The link to the page is:
You will see the whole section below on this page with all the answers which I hope will help you understand this condition a lot easily.
Many problems can arise from the chronic itch associated with VIN which results in:
Psychological problems, such as, feelings of embarrassment and stigma, psychosexual problems, depression, and anxiety.
Insomnia, with daytime tiredness due to not being able to have unbroken sleep, which also affects your quality of life.
If you have never experienced this chronic itch, you will never know the devastating affects it can have on your life!
Many of the articles on VIN published by the Health Professional usually contain medical terms which many of us have problems understanding unless you have been able to do some research and get a much better understanding of what all these long, unpronounceable words actually mean.
As one Lady gave her definition of VIN as being a -
Very Intense Nuisance! J
VIN is becoming increasingly more common in younger ladies. It can affect the vulva in many ways and there are many symptoms which could also be associated other vulva disorder so it is important Ladies know what symptoms to look out for when you have VIN and it is also a good idea to familiarise yourself with the other vulva diseases and disorders. Please check our self examination leaflet which can be accessed at:
http://www.vaco.co.uk/vseleaflet.htm
At least by doing this we will all know what we are looking for and be much more aware than we were before we had our own diagnosis. It is important to get to know what your own vulva does look like and what is normal for you and then you would soon pick up on any changes, regardless of how small and then make an appointment to see you GP to have this checked out.
The differtent terminologies given to and including VIN III grades by the Consultants are:
VIN III
CIS (carcinoma in situ)
Vulval Cancer Stage 0
Yet, they all mean the same thing!
It can be extremely confusing when Ladies are diagnosed with VIN III and the grading is not fully explained to them.
The last one Vulval Cancer Stage 0 can cause a lot of confusion as not all Consultants in the
Ladies who are diagnosed with VIN would much prefer it if the same terminology is used by all Consultants. Many of the ladies who have joined our support group have come on and said, after being moved to a different Consultant they have then been given a different diagnosis to what their previous Consultant had diagnosed them with, with no explanation, hence causing even more confusion. When in actual fact all that has happened is a different terminology has been used.
They all actually mean the same, as in pre-cancer which is usually still on the surface and has not turned invasive, which is good news for Ladies who have had this diagnosis.
The following link http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/netscape/trials/understanding/default.asp?page=4962#cis will clarify all the stages of vulval cancer and you will see it clearly starts with Vulval Cancer Stage 0 which states is a pre-cancerous condition.
Stage 0:
This is a very, very early stage, when the cancer has not yet begun to invade the tissues, but cancerous cells are present in the uppermost layer of skin of the vulva. It is sometimes called carcinoma in situ (CIS). This stage is not an invasive cancer. Many doctors now say this stage is the same as VIN3, a pre-cancerous stage which may never become invasive.
You will also find some excellent information on VIN at
There are over 100 strains of HPV, and many of them are in fact low risk strains and will never give you any problems at all during your lifetime, however, some are high risk which is the ones we are trying to understand and find decent quality information which will, we hope help us to fully understand this virus.
There is also the chance you will never develop HPV and if you ever do find out you do have HPV please remember, HPV is not something you should be ashamed of!!!
There is a page soley for information on HPV on our website which can be accessed by the following link
