CLINICAL TRIAL article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gynecological Oncology
This article is part of the Research TopicEvidence-Based Implementation of Innovations in Gynecological OncologyView all 4 articles
Oncological perineal massage in vaginal stenosis and dyspareunia in women with gynecological cancer. A randomized controlled trial
Provisionally accepted
- 1European University of Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain
- 2Universidad de Alcala, Alcala de Henares, Spain
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Background: Dyspareunia and vaginal stenosis are common complications in gynecological cancer survivors. Despite the widespread use of passive vaginal dilator therapy, physiotherapy interventions like oncological perineal massage (MPO®) have not been thoroughly evaluated. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of MPO® perineal massage versus standard passive vaginal dilator therapy in managing dyspareunia, vaginal stenosis, sexual function, and quality of life in women with gynecological cancer. Methods: A randomized controlled trial involving 35 women (MPO® group: n=18; control group: n=17) was conducted. Participants underwent either MPO® massage or passive dilator therapy for 10 weeks, with assessments at baseline (T0), mid-treatment (T1), post-treatment (T2), and six-month follow-up (T3). Outcomes included pain (VAS), vaginal stenosis (CTCAE 5.0), sexual function (FSM-2), and quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30). Results: The MPO® group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in vaginal pain (median VAS: 8.5 at T0 to 0 at T3, p<0.001), with improvements also seen in vaginal stenosis (absence/presence at T3: 16/2 vs. 3/14 in controls, p<0.001), sexual function (notably lubrication, penetration ease, and satisfaction), and quality of life (QLQ-C30 median score: 32.5 at T0 to 30 at T3 in MPO® vs. 35 to 32 in controls, p<0.001). Conclusion: Oncological perineal massage (MPO®) significantly improved pain, vaginal stenosis, sexual function, and quality of life in gynecological cancer survivors compared to passive dilator therapy. These findings support incorporating manual therapy techniques in comprehensive survivorship care in this population.
Keywords: gynecological cancer, vaginal stenosis, cancer survivorship care, Oncological physiotherapy, Perineal massage
Received: 06 Aug 2025; Accepted: 12 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pérez-García, Abuín-Porras, Mínguez-Esteban and Pecos-Martin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Vanesa Abuín-Porras, vanesa.abuin@universidadeuropea.es
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