Pelvic floor disorders and sexual function in cervical cancer survivors: a meta-analysis

Abstract Purpose Pelvic floor disease (PFD) and female sexual dysfunction (FSD) are symptoms affecting the quality of life of patients with cervical cancer after treatment. Our purpose is to describe the prevalence of PFD and FSD in women with cervical cancer (CC).Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from database inception to 31 Jan 2021 and Selected articles assessing UI, FI, and FSD in women with CC. Observational studies were included if the literature studied UI and FI, and FSD.Results Of the 1037 studies, 14 were included: 7 studied FSD, 9 evaluated UI, and 3 described FI. Due to the use of different populations and treatment methods, the results were highly heterogeneous. After treatment, the prevalence of FSD, UI, and FI in CC patients was 45.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 21.8%, 68.3%), 34.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 25.5%, 42.7%%) , and 11.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.8%, 17.3%%), respectively. The results showed that different countries are the sources of high heterogeneity of UI and FI (P＜0.001).Conclusions In this meta-analysis, the prevalence of PFD and FSD was quite high. These results are important for increasing attention to pelvic floor disease and early prevention and rehabilitation.