Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38383907›Full record

SynthesisJournal of cancer survivorship : research and practice2025

Cancer therapy-related vaginal toxicity: its prevalence and assessment methods-a systematic review.

Marithé Claes, L Tuts, J Robijns, K Mulders, E Van De Werf, P Bulens, J Mebis

Open access · greenAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Marithé ClaesFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium. marithe.claes@uhasselt.be.
L TutsFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
J RobijnsFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
K MuldersLCRC, Hasselt, Belgium.
E Van De WerfLCRC, Hasselt, Belgium.
P BulensLCRC, Hasselt, Belgium.
J MebisFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Hasselt University · BEJessa Hospital · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeIn 2020, almost 9 million women were diagnosed with cancer worldwide. Despite advancements in cancer treatment strategies, patients still suffer from acute and long-term side effects. This systematic review aims to evaluate the most frequently reported adverse effects in the genitourinary system and compare them across cancer types, treatment modalities, and evaluation methods.

methodsPubmed Central, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library were searched following the PRISMA guidelines to identify all prospective and retrospective observational cohort studies and randomized controlled trials assessing vaginal side effects of adult female cancer patients. The study quality was evaluated using The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale or the Risk of Bias 2 tool, as appropriate.

resultsThe most prevalent population was breast cancer patients, followed by gynaecological cancer patients. Overall, the focus was on vaginal dryness, while vaginal stenosis was the primary outcome in gynaecological cancer patients. Significant discrepancies were found in the frequency and severity of the reported adverse events. Most studies in this review evaluated side effects using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

conclusionsGenitourinary syndrome of menopause following cancer treatment is most frequently documented in breast and gynaecological cancer patients, often focussing on vaginal dryness and vaginal stenosis based on PROMs. This review provides a complete overview of the literature, but more high-quality clinical trials are necessary to draw firm conclusions on acute and chronic vaginal toxicity following cancer treatment. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This review could help improve the current preventive and curative management options for genitourinary complications, thereby increasing the patient's QoL and sexual functioning.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsVaginaVaginal DiseasesBreast NeoplasmsFemaleGenital Neoplasms, FemaleHumansPrevalenceQuality of LifeCancer treatmentQuality of lifeSexual functioningVaginal drynessVaginal stenosisVaginal toxicity

Identifiers

PMID38383907
OpenAlexW4392021802

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.