Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Patients with vulvar cancer already enrolled onto GOG-0244 who will undergo
definitive surgery for primary stage I-IV vulvar cancer who will receive a radical
vulvectomy or radical local excision with concurrent unilateral or bilateral inguinal
or inguinal-femoral lymphadenectomy;

- Patients who are undergoing unilateral or bilateral inguinal or inguinal-femoral
lymphadenectomy and will receive multi-modality therapy (radiation +/-
chemotherapy) after undergoing surgery are eligible

- Patients may undergo sentinel node mapping as long as it is followed by a full
lymphadenectomy during the same operative event

- No patients with any prior clinical lower-extremity lymphedema

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- Patients with a GOG performance status of 0, 1, or 2

- Patients must have a serum albumin level of ≥ 3.0 g/dL within 14 days of entry

- No patients who have a history of congestive heart failure, chronic renal disease, or
chronic liver disease

- No history of chronic lower-extremity swelling

- No patients with a history of other invasive malignancies if that malignancy included
a bilateral lymph node procedure (example: bilateral mastectomies and axillary
lymphadenectomies), or if their previous cancer treatment included any of the
surgical procedures

- No patients who are pregnant or currently breastfeeding

- No patients with an allergic reaction to EKG electrodes

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- No patients who have had prior lower-extremity vascular surgery (arterial or venous)
or any inguinal, hip, knee, or ankle surgery, including orthopedic procedures

- No patients who have had prior pelvic bilateral axillary or any pelvic, abdominal,
inguinal, or lower-extremity radiation therapy

- No patients who are going to receive another elective surgery during the same
operative event as their inguinal lymphadenectomy and vulvar surgery

- No patients with an implanted cardiac device such as a pacemaker or implantable
cardioverter defibrillator

- No patients who have been treated for, or are at risk of, bilateral arm lymphedema

- No patients who have had bilateral auxiliary dissection