Fractional microablative CO2 laser in breast cancer survivors affected by iatrogenic vulvovaginal atrophy after failure of nonestrogenic local treatments: a retrospective study

Objective: Vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) is a condition frequently observed in menopause. Its symptoms can significantly affect the quality of life of patients. Since VVA is related to estrogen deficiency, chemotherapy and hormone therapy for breast cancer (BC) might cause VVA by inducing menopause. Given the lack of effective treatment for VVA in BC survivors, we retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of fractional microablative CO2 laser therapy in these patients. Methods: We treated 82 BC survivors with three cycles of CO2 laser after failure of topical nonestrogenic therapy. The severity of symptoms was assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS) at baseline and after completion of laser therapy. Differences in mean VAS scores of each symptom before and after treatment were assessed with multiple t tests for pairwise comparisons. Multivariate analyses were used to adjust the final mean scores for the main confounding factors. Results: Pre versus post-treatment differences in mean VAS scores were significant for sensitivity during sexual intercourse, vaginal dryness, itching/stinging, dyspareunia and dysuria (P 
Source: Menopause - Category: OBGYN Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research