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New technique restores clitoris after vulvar cancer

A Dutch study describes reconstruction in eighteen patients but says further research is needed.

Doctors at Radboudumc describe a technique to reconstruct parts of the clitoris after surgery for vulvar cancer. The initial results are promising, but the study is small and offers no certainty about the outcome for every patient.

Vulvar cancer can involve a tumour close to the clitoris. To remove the tumour completely, surgeons sometimes have to remove part of the clitoris. This can affect body image, sensation and sexual function. Reconstruction of the vulva is already used more often; according to the researchers, targeted reconstruction of the clitoris is much less common.

In an article in the journal Gynecologic Oncology, researchers from Radboudumc describe the anatomical principles and a surgical technique. Remaining tissue is mobilised and covered again, with the aim of preserving the anatomical form and nerve supply as far as possible. The approach builds on a technique previously developed for repair after female genital mutilation.

The researchers reported a series of eighteen patients with vulvar cancer. According to the publication, sixteen of them were able to achieve a clitoral orgasm after the procedure. The additional operating time was estimated at approximately fifteen minutes. Two patients developed a complication attributed specifically to the reconstruction.

Those figures should be interpreted cautiously. This was a small patient group without a comparison group. The study mainly describes the technical feasibility and outcomes within a single treatment team. It therefore cannot establish that the reconstruction produces the same improvement for every patient or that the technique can be performed in the same way everywhere.

A second publication by researchers from Radboudumc examined the experiences and motivations of women who underwent reconstruction after vulvar cancer. It found that restoring body image and sexual function could be important reasons for patients to choose the procedure. The authors also emphasise that aftercare and counselling should be part of the treatment.

The broader scientific evidence remains limited. A 2026 systematic review of clitoral reconstruction after female genital mutilation assessed the certainty of the available evidence as very low. The Dutch researchers therefore write that prospective research is needed. The technique is a possible addition to cancer care, not a standard solution and no guarantee of restored sensation or function.

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