Table 3.
Symptoms Most Common After Treatment of Rectal Cancer
| Symptom | Short-term (≤ 3 yrs post diagnosis) | Long-term (> 3 yrs) | Intervention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stomach ache, cramping, pain | 5% (32) | ||
|
| |||
| Bowel Dysfunction | † Antidiarrheal medication, bulk-forming agents (64) | ||
| ▪ Clustering of BMs | 42% (68) | ||
| ▪ Night time BM | 46% (68) | ||
| ▪ Incontinence | 39% (68) | † Diet modification: limit fats, meat, milk, raw vegetables, fiber (63, 70) | |
| ▪ Pad wearing | 41% (68) | ||
| ▪ Inability to defer BM | 78% (68) | ||
| ▪ Diarrhea (Schneider; Ramsey) | |||
| ▪ Constipation (Schneider) | 14%–49% (18, 32) 7% (32) |
||
|
| |||
| Urinary Incontinence (Surgery +/− Radiotherapy) | 38% (74) | † Referral to Genito-urinary specialist | |
| • Difficulty bladder emptying | 31% (74) | ||
| • Need to void within 2 hrs | 70% (41) | ||
| • Pad wearing | 57% (41) | ||
|
| |||
| Male Sexual Dysfunction | * Sildenafil (80) | ||
| • Loss of orgasm | 50% (77) | ||
| • General dysfunction | 76% (75) | † Referral to Genito-urinary specialist | |
| • Erectile dysfunction | 80% (75) | ||
| • Ejaculatory problems | 72% (75) | ||
| Female Sexual Dysfunction | |||
| • General dysfunction | 62% (75) | * Vaginal Dilators (79, 81) | |
| • Dyspareunia | 59% (75) | ||
| • Vaginal dryness | 57% (75) | † Referral to Genito-urinary specialist or Gynecologist | |
*
One or more positive small studies;
†
Efficacy not known