TY - JOUR T1 - Early development of vaginal shortening during radiation therapy for endometrial or cervical cancer JF - International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer JO - Int J Gynecol Cancer SP - 234 LP - 235 DO - 10.1136/ijgc-00009577-200105000-00012 VL - 11 IS - 3 AU - A. Katz AU - E. Njuguna AU - E. Rakowsky AU - A. Sulkes AU - J. Sulkes AU - E. Fenig Y1 - 2001/05/01 UR - http://ijgc.bmj.com/content/11/3/234.abstract N2 - Vaginal necrosis can occur following radiation therapy for gynecological malignancies. The distal vaginal mucosa has a poorer radiation tolerance than the mucosa in the upper region. We examined the extent of vaginal shortening in patients treated by intravaginal brachytherapy with or without pelvic irradiation. Maximal extension of the vaginal cylinder above the pubis was measured for each insertion. We found that the difference in mean values between insertions (2.3 vs. 1.7 cm) was highly statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Our study shows that vaginal shortening can occur during the course of intracavity and external irradiation. These alterations in vaginal anatomy can have important consequences on doses received by the distal vaginal mucosa. ER -