Sexual functioning among breast cancer, gynecologic cancer, and healthy women.

Abstract

An investigation was conducted to determine the specific type of sexual functioning deficits and the relationship between global sexual satisfaction and adjustment in two related life areas, the marital relationship and a woman's body image, for two groups of cancer patients at high risk for sexual difficulties. Analyses revealed that the aspects of sexual functioning for matched samples of breast cancer patients and gynecologic cancer patients that differed from those of healthy women were the frequency of sexual behaviors and the level of sexual arousal. Whereas women's evaluations of their current sexual life had no relationship to their marital adjustment ratings, analyses suggested that body image disruption may be a prevalent problem for gynecologic cancer patients. Although the majority of the 900,000 women diagnosed annually with breast cancer or genital cancer are treated effectively, sexual functioning morbidity frequently occurs. In fact, review of sexual functioning morbidity estimates for major organ sites (i.e., breast, genital, colon, rectum, and bladder) shows that close to 90% of the patients surveyed experience sexual functioning morbidity, with the highest rates for those with disease at a sexual body site (Andersen, in press). The present study provides descriptive data useful in preventing or treating sexual functioning morbidity among women with cancer. Two groups at especially high risk for sexual difficulties are women with breast cancer or gynecologic cancer. In combination, these sites account for 44% of all female cancer patients diagnosed annually (Silver-berg, 1984). Breast cancer patients have

Breast cancer surgery: Comparing surgical groups and determining individual differences in postoperative sexuality and body change stress.

“…This global evaluation is sensitive to pre-post cancer treatment effects (e.g., Andersen et al, 1989aAndersen et al, , 1997 and cancer groups (Andersen & Jochimsen, 1985). The median was 4.0, the mean was 4.2, and the standard deviation was 1.9.…”

Lack of communication between healthcare professionals and women with ovarian cancer about sexual issues

“…However, despite evidence that women with gynaecological cancer experience alterations in sexual functioning (Andersen and Jochimsen, 1985;Andersen et al, 1989;Thranov and Klee, 1994;Bergmark et al, 1999), more recent publications demonstrate that communication between healthcare professionals and patients is still lacking (Corney et al, 1993;Cull et al, 1993;Lamb and Sheldon, 1994).…”

Body image for women: Conceptualization, assessment, and a test of its importance to sexual dysfunction and medical illness

“…For Study 1, the Body Image Scale of the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (Derogatis & Melisaratos, 1979) was administered in a prospective longitudinal design to two groups: normal healthy women and women to be treated for benign or malignant gynecologic disease (e.g., uterine fibroid or cervical cancer). Prior retrospective research with gynecologic cancer and healthy women suggested significant body image disruption for the women with cancer (Andersen & Jochimsen, 1985). Study II examines the shortened form of the Berscheid, Walster, and Bohrnstedt (1973) measure of body satisfaction.…”