The effect of Cicatridina® preparation on changes in the vagina due to radiotherapy treatment of cervical or endometrial cancer. Observational study

Abstract

The problem of changes in the vagina after cancer treatment is particularly important in case of patients who have been administered radiotherapy. A high percentage of patients suffer from vaginal changes which significantly deteriorate the quality of their life, and previously used methods fail to prevent them. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of Cicatridina® preparation containing hyaluronic acid on changes in the vagina in 130 women aged 30‐78 (the average age of 59), treated surgically or with radiation therapy for cervical cancer or endometrial cancer and who were treated with vaginal globules. The control group consisted of 54 women treated with radiotherapy for cervical or endometrial cancer who were administered a traditional vaginal douching. Studies carried out 3 and 6 months after treatment showed that the vaginal discomfort was less common (after 3 months ‐ 41% and 6 months ‐ 38%) in women treated with Cicatridina® as opposed to women using vaginal douching (78% and 76% respectively, statistically significant differences, observed both in patients suffering from cervical cancer and those with ovarian cancer). Occlusion of the vagina in the treatment group was also less common (9% both after 3 and 6 months) compared to the control group (18% after 3 months and 20% after 6 months). Statistically significant differences were observed in the whole treatment group. © Curr. Gynecol. Oncol. 2013.