Introduction: Treatments for colorectal and anal cancers can have a detrimental impact on sexual function. Type of treatment, which may include surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy, varies by disease site and severity. Treatment and long-term side effects can impact sexual function and intimacy for patients and their partners. Aim: To review the literature regarding treatment for colorectal/anal cancer and its impact on female sexual function, and to provide an assessment of medical outcomes and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of women with a history of colon, rectal, or anal cancer seeking sexual health treatment. Methods: We performed a PubMed search to identify peer-reviewed, English-language articles, published from 2008 to 2018, using the following search terms: "colorectal cancer," or "rectal cancer," or "anal cancer" and "sexual function," or "sexual dysfunction." We also assessed the medical outcomes and PROs from our recent cross-sectional cohort study of 99 women with a history of colon, rectal, or anal cancer seeking sexual health treatment. Main Outcome Measures: Sexual function, quality of life, and PROs after colorectal/anal cancer Results: Twenty-three studies were identified. Study designs included 15 cross-sectional survey studies, 5 longitudinal studies, 2 psychoeducational interventions, and 1 pilot study. Ten studies included women and 13 included both men and women. The literature and our cohort confirmed
Introduction
Healthcare professionals can play a pivotal role in promoting vulvovaginal health through assessment and appropriate intervention.
Aim
The development and validation of brief clinical measures to facilitate the identification of vulvovaginal symptoms in cancer patients/survivors is warranted.
Methods
175 female cancer survivors attending a Female Sexual Medicine and Women’s Health Program from 9/26/2012–10/31/2014 completed the Vaginal Assessment Scale (VAS) and Vulvar Assessment Scale (VuAS)—a modified version of the VAS that targets vulvar symptoms. Pelvic exam results were recorded using a clinical exam checklist. Internal consistency of both scales was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and correlation between scales and other outcomes was reported.
Results
The internal consistency measures of the VAS and VuAS at first visit were 0.70 and 0.68, which decreased to 0.53 and 0.66 at last visit. The VAS composite and VuAS composite scores were moderately correlated with one another (0.42 and 0.45 at first and last visit, respectively). Strong correlation was observed between VAS pain with intercourse and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) pain with intercourse (−0.63 and −0.71 at first and last visit, respectively). Worse pain with exam, worse functioning on the FSFI pain, lubrication and total scales, and worse vulvar irritation were correlated with more severe symptoms on the VAS and VuAS.
Conclusions
The VAS and VuAS are simple tools that can be used by clinicians to assess health concerns in women diagnosed with and treated for cancer. Future validation across diverse settings and groups of women are needed.
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