ArticleFrontiers in oncology2026
Quantifying the risk of sexual dysfunction in men treated with pelvic radiation therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer.
Article in Frontiers in oncology, 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
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Purpose: As the incidence of stage II-III locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) rises in younger patients, we sought to investigate the risk of sexual dysfunction following radiation therapy (RT) in younger men. Methods: Men ≤50 years old diagnosed with LARC between 1995-2019 at a single institution were retrospectively evaluated. Primary outcomes of erectile dysfunction (ED) and ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) were defined via ICD codes and clinical evaluation. Cumulative incidences were calculated with death as a competing risk. Subdistribution hazard ratios from competing risk regression models were used. Dosimetric parameters to organs at risk were extracted to suggest dose constraints to prevent sexual dysfunction. Results: The study included 429 men: 350 received concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CXRT) as part of their treatment, and 79 did not receive RT. The two groups were similar with respect to age at diagnosis, stage, and medical comorbidities associated with sexual dysfunction (p>0.05). With a median follow-up of 6.3 years, the 5-year cumulative incidence of ED in the CXRT group was 25% (95%CI 20-30%) compared to 3.9% (95%CI 1.0-10%) in the no RT group (p<0.001). On multivariable analysis, CXRT maintained statistical significance as an independent risk factor for ED (HR 3.55, 95% CI 1.34-9.44, p=0.011). Within the CXRT group, inguinal coverage in the treatment fields was an independent risk factor for ED (HR 2.38, 95% CI 1.30-4.34, p=0.005), and greater distance from the anal verge had a protective effect. No difference was found in EjD between the 2 groups. Conclusion: CXRT independently increases risk of ED but not EjD in patients treated for rectal cancer. Technique and target location may impact sexual dysfunction, possibly due to greater radiation dose to the genitalia. These findings may aid in establishing new constraints and promote counseling of young male patients on risks of sexual dysfunction.
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.