The importance of and satisfaction with sex life among breast cancer survivors in comparison with healthy female controls and women with mental depression or arterial hypertension: results from the Finnish nationwide HeSSup cohort study

Abstract

Introduction Breast cancer (BC) and its treatment is associated with several physical and psychosocial changes that may influence sexuality for years after treatment. Women with BC show significantly greater rates of sexual dysfunction than do healthy women. The purpose of the study was to evaluate how a BC diagnosis associates with women's perceived sexuality and sexual satisfaction. Material and methods The data of the ongoing prospective Health and Social Support (HeSSup) survey was linked with national health registries. Respondents with registry data confirmed BC (n = 66), mental depression (n = 612), arterial hypertension (n = 873), and healthy women (n = 9731) formed the study population. The importance of and satisfaction with sex life were measured by a self-report questionnaire modified from the Schover's and colleagues' Sexual History Form. Results Women with BC considered sex life less important than did healthy women (p < 0.001). They were significantly less satisfied with their sex life than healthy women (p = 0.01) and women with arterial hypertension (p = 0.04). Living single or educational level did not explain the differences between the groups. Conclusions BC survivors depreciate their sex life and experience dissatisfaction with it. Sexuality can be a critical issue for the quality of life of women surviving from BC, and hence, the area deserves major attention in BC survivorship care. Health care professionals should regularly include sexual functions in the assessment of BC survivors' wellbeing.

A systematic review: Sexual well‐being and perceived barriers to seeking professional help among Chinese adults living with cancer

“…The findings of this systematic review illustrate the experience of changes in sexual well-being and spousal relationship as well as the barriers of seeking professional help to address their sexual intimacy issues among the Chinese adults living with cancer. In line with previous studies in other population groups (Mütsch et al, 2019;Reese et al, 2017;Salakari et al, 2020), our review indicated that Chinese adults experience many challenges throughout the cancer care trajectory and identify the unaddressed sexual supportive care needs of adults who are living with cancer. Improving sexual intimacy issues for cancer survivors may be critical to alleviating the tension of the spousal relationship and ensuring optimal therapeutic outcomes.…”

Breast Cancer Survivorship, Quality of Life, and Late Toxicities

“…Satisfaction in one's sex life can be a critical issue for the quality of life in breast cancer patients and should be included in individual patient assessment. Sexual dysfunction is more frequently observed in patients with breast cancer than in healthy women, and treatment-related adverse effects can have a prolonged, social negative impact (29). With these factors in mind, sexual satisfaction in breast cancer survivors deserves more attention, particularly in pre/peri-menopausal patients (30).…”

Feasibility of modified radical mastectomy with nipple-areola preservation combined with stage I prosthesis implantation using air cavity-free suspension hook in patients with breast cancer

“…Preserving the skin, nipple, and areola might increase the possibility of residual cancer tissues and increase the risk of recurrence, which has been a concern of researchers. A recent study showed that MRM with skin nipple-areola preservation combined with stage I prosthesis reconstruction was a safe and effective surgical method and would not increase the local recurrence rate or distant metastasis rate [7]. Local recurrence of breast cancer is mainly derived from the mammary gland's residual ductal epithelium, not the skin tissues of the breast [6].…”

“…Still, how to improve the patients' quality of life after treatments is now a significant challenge [3]. Breast preservation can significantly improve the quality of life of women after breast surgery [4][5][6][7].…”