1. A physical therapy program to treat late-effect vaginal stenosis in gynecological cancer survivors: An interventional study.
- Author
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Nascimento FC, Sampaio IM, Nunes GS, Lacomba MT, Deitos J, da Silva Honório GJ, and da Luz CM
- Subjects
- Humans, Female, Middle Aged, Aged, Constriction, Pathologic etiology, Constriction, Pathologic therapy, Adult, Vagina, Surveys and Questionnaires, Quality of Life, Cancer Survivors, Genital Neoplasms, Female complications, Vaginal Diseases etiology, Vaginal Diseases therapy, Physical Therapy Modalities, Muscle Strength physiology, Pelvic Floor physiopathology
- Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the effect of a physical therapy program on vaginal length and diameter, pelvic floor strength, and quality of life among gynecological cancer survivors suffering from late-effect vaginal stenosis., Methods: Thirty-four women who were previously diagnosed with gynecological cancer and experiencing vaginal stenosis, at least 12 months post-oncological treatment, were enrolled. The intervention program consisted of ten weeks of individualized weekly sessions, each lasting 50 min, involving perineal massage, progressive vaginal dilation, and pelvic floor exercises. Pre- and post-treatment evaluations included assessments of pelvic floor muscle strength through digital palpation, measurements of vaginal length and diameter using a silicone vaginal dilator, and classification of stenosis according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v5.0). Health-related quality of life was assessed using the FACT-G and FACT-Cx questionnaires., Results: Twenty-one women completed the physical therapy program. There was a significant increase in vaginal length (p < 0.001), vaginal diameter (p < 0.001) and improvement in pelvic floor muscle strength (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (r = 0.81), a medium effect size (r = -0.77) and a medium effect size (r = -0.78), respectively. This resulted in resolution of vaginal stenosis in 14 participants (66.7%) following intervention. Mean scores for FACT-Cx and FACIT-G, encompassing total scores and physical, social, and functional well-being domains, increased significantly after the treatment., Conclusion: The proposed physical therapy program demonstrated positive effects on vaginal stenosis, pelvic floor muscle strength and health-related quality of life in gynecological cancer survivors., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical statement: The CARE guidelines for case reports and the TIDieR checklist for intervention description were employed. All procedures of the study were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and received approval from the research ethics committee of Santa Catarina State University (UDESC) (CAAE: 23430719.0.0000.0118) and of Santa Catarina State Department of Health (SES/SC) (CAAE: 234307.19.0.3001.0115). Declarations of interest: None. Consent to participate: The informed consent form was presented, and participants confirmed their understanding and agreement by signing it. Consent to publish: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
- Published
- 2024
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