Head and neck cancer treatment and its sexual impact on quality of life: An integrative literature review.

Abstract

Objective: To identify the impacts of head and neck cancer treatment on the sexual health of patients. Methods: An integrative literature review was carried out from May to October 2020 using PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, and the SciELO portal. A total of 287 primary articles were identified. After assessing them, 6 articles met the eligibility criteria, which were: all articles published in the last ten years that addressed the sexual impact of HNC treatment on people's lives, without any language or age. Results: Patients with Head and Neck Cancer have to face aesthetic disfigurement challenges in post-treatment. This leads to a greater degree of suffering and social and sexual problems than is observed in other cancer patients. Health professionals do not feel safe to access the intimate and sexual demands of patients during the clinical treatment. Conclusions: Most of the studies included in this review focused on measuring the quality of life using only one or two variables related to sexuality. There is the need other research to explore how multiple factors, such as social, psychological, cultural, religious, ethnic, and ethical factors, affect sexuality. This promotes the creation of the paths for comprehensive care and management of patients.