Pelvic rehabilitation after oncological surgery and effects on continence sexual function and quality of life: a literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62827/fb.v27i5.1236Keywords:
Pelvic Floor; Physical Therapy Modalities; Pelvic Neoplasms; Urinary Incontinence; Cancer Survivors.Abstract
Introduction: Pelvic oncological surgeries, including radical prostatectomy, sphincter-preserving colorectal resections and gynecological procedures, frequently impair urinary and fecal continence, sexual function and quality of life. Physiotherapist-led pelvic rehabilitation is proposed as a first-line conservative strategy for these sequelae. Objective: The impact of pelvic rehabilitation on continence, sexual function and quality of life after pelvic oncological surgery was described. Methods: Literature review with a narrative and qualitative approach. The search was carried out from January to June 2026 in Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and Cochrane Library, using controlled terms from the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) combined with Boolean operators. Clinical trials, reviews, guidelines and official documents in Portuguese, English and Spanish were considered eligible and were selected by reading titles and abstracts followed by full-text assessment, with descriptive analysis organized by thematic axes. Results: Of the 32 references used, 23 composed the analytical corpus, published between 2007 and 2026, predominantly randomized controlled trials (39.1%) and systematic reviews without meta-analysis (30.4%). Pelvic floor muscle training was the most frequently described intervention and was associated with earlier return of urinary continence after prostatectomy. In low anterior resection syndrome, the reported benefits were restricted to specific symptom domains. In gynecological cancer, multimodal interventions were associated with improvement in dyspareunia and sexual function. Conclusion: Pelvic rehabilitation proved to be a conservative approach applicable to the three surgical contexts, with more consistent evidence for early urinary continence and heterogeneous results for the remaining outcomes.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rafael Viana dos Santos Coutinho, Thiago Moreira Goivinho, Isabela Moraes Leal da Matta, Bruna Gonzatti Batista, Thaís Helena Barrow (Autor)
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