Patient reported long‐term side effects from treatment on urinary and sexual function in anal cancer survivors – 3‐ and 6‐year results from the Swedish national ANCA study

Abstract Aim The standard treatment for anal cancer is chemoradiotherapy. Most patients survive anal cancer but remain living with long‐term side effects related to the treatment received. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of long‐term impairment of urinary and sexual function at 3 and 6 years after diagnosis and to investigate the additive effect from chemotherapy in combined chemoradiotherapy on urinary incontinence, compared to radiotherapy alone. Method The ANal CAncer study (ANCA) is based on a national Swedish cohort of patients diagnosed with anal cancer between 2011 and 2013. All identified patients within the study were invited to respond to a study‐specific questionnaire at 3 and 6 years. Descriptive analyses for the primary endpoint were performed. To investigate a possible additional effect from chemotherapy logistic regression was used. Results A total of 388 patients were included in the study. At 3 years 264 patients were alive and invited to respond to an anal cancer specific questionnaire. The 3‐ and 6 year response rates were 195 (74%) and 155 patients (67%), respectively. The patient reported urinary function impairment at 3 years were urgency (63%), incomplete bladder emptying (47%), and incontinence (46%) and there was an absolute increase of the prevalence of urinary dysfunction in about 10% at 6 years. Three years after diagnosis, 77% reported that intercourse was not part of their sex life; this percentage increased at 6 years to 83%. We found no negative effect of chemotherapy in combined chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone on patient reported urinary incontinence. Conclusion For anal cancer survivors, urinary function was impaired after 3 years and continued to deteriorate as measured at 6 years after diagnosis. Anal cancer and its treatment negatively affected sexual function for both men and women. This may explain why patients reported that sexual activity and frequency of intercourse was not of importance in their life.