ArticleAdvances in radiation oncology2024
Long-Term Patient-Reported Dyspareunia After Definitive Chemoradiation for Anal Cancer: Using the Anterior Vaginal Wall as an Organ-at-Risk to Define an Actionable Dosimetric Goal.
Article in Advances in radiation oncology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence, risk factors, and interventions for female sexual dysfunction after radiotherapy for anal cancer: a systematic review.British journal of cancer · 2026Pooled it
- Improving our understanding of the quality of life of patients with metastatic or recurrent/persistent anal cancer: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Pooled it
- A feasibility study of sexual organ-dose sparing volumetric modulated arc therapy in female low rectal cancer patients treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy.Journal of applied clinical medical physics · 2025Article
- Esophageal Circumferential Dose-Length Histogram Parameters to Predict Dysphagia in Patients Receiving Thoracic Radiation Therapy: A Single-Institution Experience.Advances in radiation oncology · 2025Article
- Interstitial HDR brachytherapy for anal cancer-results and quality of life.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vaginal dosimetry and long-term patient-reported dyspareunia after treatment. We further aimed to use the anterior vaginal wall (AVW) as an organ at risk to define an actionable dosimetric clinical goal to decrease the risk of patient-reported dyspareunia. Methods and Materials: Women with SCCA treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy-based CRT were surveyed at least 2 years after successfully completing therapy. A Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) pain subscore ≤4 was used to define dyspareunia. Dosimetric parameters were calculated for both the full vaginal canal and AVW. Multivariable linear regression models were created to identify predictors of FSFI pain subscore using backward selection to identify final variables include in the models. An actionable dosimetric predictor for dyspareunia was established using the Youden index method for cutoff optimization. Results: Of 184 women who were contacted, 90 (49%) returned completed surveys. Of those who completed surveys, 51 (56.7%) reported being sexually active, and 47 had dosimetric data available for review. Of sexually active respondents, 32 (68%) had an FSFI pain subscore ≤4. Multiple regression models were generated using the full vaginal canal and AVW as organs at risk, and both models showed similar predictive relationships with volumetric dose parameters emerging as the best dosimetric predictors for dysparenuia. Age over 65 years was also associated with higher FSFI pain subscores (eg, less pain with intercourse) in both models. AVW V35 Gy < 60% was identified as the optimal cutoff to reduce the risk of patient-reported dyspareunia. Conclusions: Increased dose to the vaginal canal is significantly associated with worse patient-reported dyspareunia following CRT for SCCA. Minimizing dose to the AVW to V35 Gy < 60% may reduce the risk of this quality of life-limiting toxicity. Further prospective evaluation is needed to validate these findings.
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Registered trials
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