Autologous regenerative cell therapy shows 41% cure rate and 55% improvement rate for stress urinary incontinence

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Frontiers in Medicine Published June 4, 2026 Medically reviewed June 4, 2026 Study authors: Jiemei Chen, Yaofeng Zhi, Wanmin Liu, Yingchi Fan, Yuehuan Lin, Qian Zhong, Xin Zhang, Xiaohong Ruan DOI ↗ By Dr. Julia Lee, PhD · Oncology, Genomics & Drug Development

Key Takeaway

Consider that autologous regenerative cell therapy shows short-term promise for stress urinary incontinence, but evidence quality is low and long-term data are lacking.

This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of autologous regenerative cell therapy for female stress urinary incontinence, synthesizing data from 591 patients. The authors report a pooled cure rate of 41% and a pooled improvement rate of 55%. Other outcomes showed significantly reduced pad test results, decreased leakage frequency, improved incontinence-specific questionnaire scores, improved quality of life, and significantly improved post-void residual volume. However, maximum urethral closure pressure and maximum flow rate showed no significant improvements. The loss to follow-up rate and adverse events rate were each no more than 8%, with favorable short-term safety noted.

Key limitations acknowledged by the authors include short follow-up, lack of magnetic resonance imaging evidence for regeneration, significant heterogeneity, and low-to-moderate study quality. The practice relevance statement indicates that future large-sample randomized controlled trials with standardized study protocols are needed to further validate these findings. The certainty note states that findings should be interpreted with caution.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedJun 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

To systematically evaluate the clinical outcomes of autologous regenerative cell therapy for female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL databases. Data analysis was performed using RevMan and Stata. The primary outcomes were cure and improvement rate. Secondary outcomes included pad test, leakage frequency, questionnaire scores, quality of life, urodynamic parameters, loss to follow-up rate, and adverse events. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were conducted based on heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots, begg test, and egger test. A total of 19 studies encompassing 591 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that regenerative cell therapy was associated with a pooled cure rate of 41% and a pooled improvement rate of 55% (17 studies). Regenerative cell therapy significantly reduced pad test, decreased leakage frequency, and improved incontinence-specific questionnaires and quality of life. In terms of urodynamic parameters, post-void residual volume was significantly improved, while no significant improvements were observed in maximum urethral closure pressure or maximum flow rate. The loss to follow-up rate and adverse events were no more than 8%. Significant heterogeneity was observed across all outcome measures. Subgroup analysis showed no significant differences and sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results. Funnel plots suggested potential publication bias, but begg test and egger test were not statistically significant. Autologous regenerative cell therapy for female SUI achieved a 41% cure rate and 55% improvement rate, improved symptoms and quality of life, and demonstrated favorable short-term safety. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to short follow-up, lack of magnetic resonance imaging evidence for regeneration, significant heterogeneity, and low-to-moderate study quality. Future large-sample randomized controlled trials with standardized study protocols are needed to further validate these findings. The registration URL is as follows: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, PROSPERO (CRD420261345945).