ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2026
Structured pelvic floor physiotherapy rehabilitation for low anterior resection syndrome in colorectal cancer: An Australian feasibility study.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeLow Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) is a common and debilitating outcome of sphincter-preserving surgery for colorectal cancer, severely affecting quality of life. While pelvic floor rehabilitation (PFR) is recommended as a conservative treatment, access to structured care is limited. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a structured, physiotherapist-led PFR programme in an Australian outpatient setting, and explored the within-person changes in bowel function and quality of life.
methodsA non-randomised, single-arm prospective study was conducted at Concord Repatriation General Hospital (Sydney, Australia) from September 2020 to April 2024. Colorectal cancer survivors with LARS (score > 20) and bowel continuity restored > 6 months previously were enrolled. The 10-week PFR programme included education, pelvic floor muscle training, rectal balloon biofeedback, and home exercises, with adaptations for telehealth due to COVID-19. Primary outcome was programme adherence. Secondary outcomes included bowel, bladder, and sexual function, quality of life, and anorectal physiology; measured at baseline, post-intervention (3 months) and follow-up (9 months).
resultsFourteen participants (median age sixty-three; seven female) completed the programme (one dropout with non-clinical reason), with 100% attendance and high home exercise adherence (median completion 100%). Bowel function improved significantly (median LARS score reduction -13.0; p = 0.004), with 71.4% achieving meaningful change post-intervention and 63.6% at follow-up. Quality of life significantly improved on validated measures. Anorectal physiology showed increased anal pressures, sensory thresholds, and better defaecatory coordination. No adverse events were reported.
conclusionsA structured, physiotherapist-led PFR programme is feasible and acceptable for colorectal cancer survivors with LARS. While improvements in bowel function and quality of life were observed over time, these findings should be interpreted as exploratory. The hypothesis-generating findings support further evaluation of PFR in a controlled trial to evaluate effectiveness and inform integration into multidisciplinary survivorship care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.