Stress urinary incontinence in the prostate cancer survivor

Urinary incontinence after treatment for prostate cancer is common, and the burden of disease is substantial with an increasing number of prostate cancer survivors. We aim to review recent advances in this field with a focus on therapeutic surgical interventions and their outcomes.

Recent studies have proven the efficacy of the male transobturator sling while elucidating the prognostic factors associated with its failure. Heavy incontinence and radiation history are strongly associated with poor outcomes after a sling. The artificial urinary sphincter continues to provide excellent outcomes even in patients with prior sling failure. A new quadratic sling has been introduced to the market, but clinical outcomes data are sparse. The use of urethral bulking and oral medicines for stress incontinence remains low because of inconsistent results.

Stress urinary incontinence after prostate cancer treatment is common. Fortunately, there are excellent options for managing stress urinary incontinence in men, and recent data have allowed us to approach this problem in a systematic, algorithmic fashion.