Table 3.
Staging frameworks for vulvar and vaginal malignant melanoma.
| Authority/year | Vulvar malignant melanoma staging | Vaginal malignant melanoma staging | Key reporting message |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCCN Vulvar Cancer v3.2024 (26) | AJCC melanoma TNM; Hart-line subclassification; | AJCC melanoma TNM suggested; mucosal pathway; | Pragmatic AJCC-based staging; institutional variability |
| UICC TNM 9th/RCPath 2025 (54) | Cutaneous melanoma TNM; vulva included; Breslow/ulceration/nodes/LDH | No skin TNM; Descriptive staging | Discordance with NCCN |
| FIGO vulvar cancer 2025 (27) | Vulvar-cancer FIGO; melanoma excluded; not recommended | Not applicable; | Avoid FIGO vulvar-cancer staging |
| FIGO vaginal cancer 2025 (27) | Not applicable | Epithelial-tumor focus; melanoma excluded; mucosal melanoma entity | Avoid FIGO vaginal-cancer staging |
| CSCO 2025 framework (55) | Cutaneous-type vulva included; AJCC/pTNM; Breslow-based | No pTNM system; mucosal framework; clinical description | China framework: vulva stageable, vagina not |
| CACA 2025 framework (56) | Hart-line classification; unified AJCC staging; subtype-adapted management | Mucosal melanoma; no standard staging; descriptive assessment | Clearest domestic distinction |