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Can pelvic radiation cause bowel incontinence?
Last month I was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and I have been receiving several kinds of therapy for it - including pelvic radiation. Now I'm having problems with bowel control. Can pelvic radiation cause bowel incontinence?
3 Answers
Bowel inconvenience usually is related to surgical procedure but radiation can make it worse.
Depends on the dose. Talk with your radiation oncologist about this.
Roger Macklis
Sometimes, pelvic radiotherapy causes the small blood vessels in the bowel to become more fragile and may cause the bowel to narrow. These changes lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, leaking (incontinence) or bleeding from the back passage