Prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction and sexual dysfunction in cervical cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction and hypothesis Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) and female sexual dysfunction (FSD) are symptoms that affect the quality of life of patients with cervical cancer (CC) after treatment. Our purpose was to estimate the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) and fecal incontinence (FI) associated with PFD and prevalence of FSD in CC patients. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from database inception to 31 January 2021 and selected articles assessing UI, FI and FSD in women with CC. Observational studies were included if they investigated UI, FI, and FSD. Results We included 14 of the 1,233 studies: 7 investigated FSD, 9 UI, and 3 FI. The results were highly heterogeneous because of the different populations and treatment methods. The prevalence of FSD, UI, and FI in CC patients after treatment was 45.0% (95% CI, 21.8-68.3%), 34.1% (95% CI, 25.5-42.7%), and 11.1% (95% CI, 4.8-17.3%). The results showed that different countries were the source of high heterogeneity of UI and FI (P<0.001). Conclusions In this meta-analysis, the prevalence of PFD and FSD was high. These results are important for drawing attention to PFD and its early prevention and rehabilitation.