Urinary tract dysfunctions after gynecological cancers treatment

Oncological treatment results in a series of major adverse effects, local and systemic, depending on the type of treatment – surgery, radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy (CT) or a combination of those. Chemotherapy acts mainly systemically, but drugs used during treatment are eliminated through the urinary tract, often unmetabolized, and come in direct contact with the epithelium of the bladder, ureters and urethra. Pelvic radiotherapy, even though targeted at the uterus or cervix, influences the adjacent organs. Radical hysterectomy aims at removing only affected parts of the urogenital tract, but nearby tissues, nerves and blood vessels can be damaged during surgery. They all result in some form of temporary or permanent lower urinary tract dysfunctions. They vary in type and severity and are becoming increasingly more manageable and preventable through recent advancements in targeted chemotherapy, more precise radiotherapy and more selective surgery. More consideration is recently put not only into developing more effective forms of treatment, but also into improving the quality of life for oncological patients during and after therapy. Recent advancements and discoveries in this field are discussed in the following article.