Literature Review of Vaginal Stenosis and Dilator Use in Radiation Oncology
| Autor: | Jeanne Carter, Christina H. Son, Shari Damast, Yasmin Hasan, Stacy Tessler Lindau, Anuja Jhingran, Diana D. Jeffery |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Psychological intervention MEDLINE Constriction Pathologic Article 030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Vaginal dilator Radiation oncology medicine Humans Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging Intensive care medicine business.industry Dilatation medicine.anatomical_structure Oncology 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis Dilator Vagina Radiation Oncology Female Sexual function business Vaginal stenosis |
| Zdroj: | Pract Radiat Oncol |
| ISSN: | 1879-8500 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.prro.2019.07.001 |
| Popis: | Purpose Guidelines for the care of women undergoing pelvic radiation therapy (RT) recommend vaginal dilator therapy (VDT) to prevent radiation-induced vaginal stenosis (VS); however, no standard protocol exists. This review seeks to update our current state of knowledge concerning VS and VDT in radiation oncology. Methods and Materials A comprehensive literature review (1972-2017) was conducted using search terms "vaginal stenosis," "radiation," and "vaginal dilator." Information was organized by key concepts including VS definition, time course, pathophysiology, risk factors, and interventions. Results VS is a well-described consequence of pelvic RT, with early manifestations and late changes evolving over several years. Strong risk factors for VS include RT dose and volume of vagina irradiated. Resultant vaginal changes can interfere with sexual function and correlational studies support the use of preventive VDT. The complexity of factors that drive noncompliance with VDT is well recognized. There are no prospective data to guide optimal duration of VDT, and the consistency with which radiation oncologists monitor VS and manage its consequences is unknown. Conclusions This review provides information concerning VS definition, pathophysiology, and risk factors and identifies domains of VDT practice that are understudied. Prospective efforts to monitor and measure outcomes of patients who are prescribed VDT are needed to guide practice. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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