A multi-modal study examining long-term bowel, urinary, and sexual function after rectal cancer surgery

Many rectal cancer survivors experience persistent bowel, urinary, and sexual dysfunction. A better understanding of their lived experience can help guide survivorship care. Multi-modal study of patients who underwent rectal cancer surgery from 2015 to 2019 at a single institution. Surveys and qualitative interviews were used to describe patients’ postoperative symptom burden and its impact on their quality of life. The total number of survey respondents was 188 (response rate = 63.5%). Among participants, 41.5% reported their bowel habits, bladder habits (7.8%) and sexual function (36.2%) to be a “moderate” or “big problem” in the past four weeks. The lived experiences varied widely even among patients who report similar symptom burden. Rectal cancer survivors commonly face lasting symptoms that negatively impact their quality of life for years after surgery. Additional support extending beyond the perioperative period is needed for patients with persistent dysfunction. •Symptoms persist years after rectal cancer surgery.•Lasting symptoms were found to affect many aspects of patients' lives.•Qualitative findings reveal greater nuance about the impact on daily life.