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Review
. 2017 May 2:9:273-279.
doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S106796. eCollection 2017.

Radiation-induced vaginal stenosis: current perspectives

Lucinda Morris  1 , Viet Do  1 , Jennifer Chard  1 , Alison H Brand  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Radiation-induced vaginal stenosis: current perspectives

Lucinda Morris et al. Int J Womens Health. .

Abstract

Treatment of gynecological cancer commonly involves pelvic radiation therapy (RT) and/or brachytherapy. A commonly observed side effect of such treatment is radiation-induced vaginal stenosis (VS). This review analyzed the incidence, pathogenesis, clinical manifestation(s) and assessment and grading of radiation-induced VS. In addition, risk factors, prevention and treatment options and follow-up schedules are also discussed. The limited available literature on many of these aspects suggests that additional studies are required to more precisely determine the best management strategy of this prevalent group after RT.

Keywords: brachytherapy; gynecological cancer; radiation therapy; vaginal dilators; vaginal stenosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
LENT SOMA grading scale for vaginal injury. Reprinted from Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1995;31(5):1049–1091. LENT SOMA scales for all anatomic sites. With permission from Elsevier. Copyright ©1995 Published by Elsevier Inc. Abbreviations: LENT SOMA, Late Effects in Normal Tissues-Subjective, Objective, Management and Analytic Score; HBO2, HyperBaric Oxygen therapy; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; EUA, examination under anesthesia.
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