Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna have found that patients who are sexually active or who dilate their vagina after cervical cancer therapy are at lower risk of long-term side effects.
This is reported by the Dr. Evin website.
The study results are presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. It is most often diagnosed around age 50. Standard non-surgical treatment for patients whose cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs includes a combination of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and brachytherapy - placing radioactive implants directly into the tumor.
The five-year survival rate is 74%, which is quite high. However, exposure of tumors near the vagina to high doses of radiation can cause the vagina to shorten or narrow. This complicates gynecologic examinations and causes pain during intercourse. Doctors often recommend regular and permanent vaginal dilation to mitigate these side effects and prevent scar tissue formation, but the effectiveness of this method has not been proven.
The new study involved 1,416 female patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. They visited a doctor an average of 11 times over a five-year period.
Patients who reported both vaginal dilation and sexual activity had the lowest risk of vaginal constriction (18%). Patients who did not take any measures to control vaginal constriction had it in 37% cases.
"Cancer treatment is always our top priority. But with the increasing number of relatively young cervical cancer survivors, prevention and treatment of side effects are becoming more important to ensure a better quality of life. I hope that this study will help to reduce taboos about sexual health and make it easier for doctors to discuss these issues with their patients," concluded the study's lead author, Katrin Kirchheiner, a clinical psychologist at the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical University of Vienna.
It is also advisable to learn that the main symptoms of neoplasms in women's breasts have been identified.
