Abstract:
Following pelvic radiotherapy (RT), a proportion of women experience problems related to sexual function, which are multifactorial in origin. The physical components relate to distortion of the perineum and vagina, which may occur as a result of surgery and/or radiotherapy and compromise sexual activity resulting in considerable distress. The aim of this review was to evaluate the evidence for treatment options addressing the physical components of sexual dysfunction arising from pelvic radiotherapy as prevention or treatment of acute or late complications. The concepts used included synonyms for radiation therapy and brachytherapy and synonyms for the spectrum of physical aspects of sexual dysfunction in women. randomized. We searched the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL), issue 1, 2002, MEDLINE 1966 to 2002, EMBASE 1980 to 2002, CANCERCD 1980 to 2002, Science Citation Index 1991 to 2002, CINAHL 1982 to 2002, as well as sources of grey literature. We also hand searched relevant textbooks and contacted experts in the field. Any study describing the therapeutic trial of a treatment to relieve the physical aspects of female sexual dysfunction which had developed following pelvic radiotherapy was considered. The quality of each study was then assessed by two reviewers independently to determine its suitability for inclusion in statistical analysis.
Denton, Maher, , , , , , , (2003). Interventions for the physical aspects of sexual dysfunction in women following pelvic radiotherapy. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2003 ;(1):CD003750. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12535485