Trial reportJournal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology2015
A Practical Solution for Dyspareunia in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 174 citations in OpenAlex.
- Let's talk about sex: consensus guidelines of the GINECOR working group of the Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology: clinical recommendations after pelvic radiotherapy.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025Guideline
- Management of genitourinary symptoms in patients with breast cancer: an updated systematic review of available evidence from randomized trials.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of Hormonal and Nonhormonal Approaches to Vaginal Atrophy and Sexual Dysfunctions in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Treatments to Improve Dyspareunia in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review.Breast care (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Pooled it
- 20-Year Risks of Breast-Cancer Recurrence after Stopping Endocrine Therapy at 5 Years.The New England journal of medicine · 2017Pooled it
- Survivorship, Version 2.2017, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2017Guideline
- Interventions for sexual dysfunction following treatments for cancer in women.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Changes in serum estradiol levels with Estring in postmenopausal women with breast cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021Trial
- A single-arm clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of a non-hormonal, hyaluronic acid-based vaginal moisturizer in endometrial cancer survivors.Gynecologic oncology · 2020Trial
- Evaluating the efficacy of vaginal dehydroepiandosterone for vaginal symptoms in postmenopausal cancer survivors: NCCTG N10C1 (Alliance).Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2018Trial
- A pilot randomized trial to prevent sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors starting adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2017Trial
- Case-Based Perspectives on the Management of Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause.Clinics and practice · 2026Review
- Treating Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause in Postmenopausal Women with a History of Breast Cancer.Drugs & aging · 2026Review
- Sexuality in the light of awareness of approaching mortality.Palliative & supportive care · 2025Article
- Aromatase Inhibitors as Adjuvant Therapy in Early Breast Cancer: Insights into Toxicities and Their Management.Cancers · 2025Review
- Addressing the Needs of Breast Cancer Survivors.Current oncology reports · 2025Review
- Sexual health in cancer care: a narrative review and position statement from the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM).ESMO open · 2025Review
- Addressing Sexual Health in Breast Cancer Survivors: Evidence-Based Practices and Clinical Considerations.Current treatment options in oncology · 2025Review
- Vaginal health in breast cancer survivors: a practical clinical approach.Therapeutic advances in medical oncology · 2025Review
- From diagnosis to survivorship addressing the sexuality of women during cancer.The oncologist · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeDyspareunia is common in breast cancer survivors because of low estrogen. This study explored whether dyspareunia is introital pain, preventable with analgesic liquid. PATIENTS AND
methodsIn a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial, estrogen-deficient breast cancer survivors with severe penetrative dyspareunia applied either saline or 4% aqueous lidocaine to the vulvar vestibule for 3 minutes before vaginal penetration. After a 1-month blinded trial of patient-assessed twice-per-week tampon insertion or intercourse, all patients received lidocaine for 2 months in an open-label trial. The primary outcome was patient-related assessment of penetration pain on a scale of zero to 10. Secondary outcomes were sexual distress (Female Sexual Distress Scale), sexual function (Sexual Function Questionnaire), and resumption of intercourse. Comparisons were made with the Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed rank test with significance set at P < .05.
resultsIn all, 46 patients, screened to exclude those with pelvic muscle and organ pain, uniformly had clinical evidence of severe vulvovaginal atrophy, dyspareunia (median pain score, 8 of 10; interquartile range [IQR], 7 to 9), increased sexual distress scores (median, 30.5; IQR, 23 to 37; abnormal, > 11), and abnormal sexual function. Users of lidocaine reported less pain during intercourse in the blinded phase (median score of 1.0 compared with saline score of 5.3; P = .007). After open-label lidocaine use, 37 (90%) of 41 reported comfortable penetration. Sexual distress decreased (median score, 14; IQR, 3 to 20; P < .001), and sexual function improved in all but one domain. Of 20 prior abstainers from intercourse who completed the study, 17 (85%) had resumed comfortable penetrative intimacy. No partners reported penile numbness.
conclusionBreast cancer survivors with menopausal dyspareunia can have comfortable intercourse after applying liquid lidocaine compresses to the vulvar vestibule before penetration.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.