Screening for sexual health concerns in survivors of gynecological cancer

• Published in: Supportive care in cancer Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 599 - 605
• Main Authors: Roberts, Karen, Chong, Travis, Hollands, Emma, Tan, Jason, Mohan, Ganendra Raj Kader Ali, Cohen, Paul A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cancer; Cancer Survivors; Cervical cancer; Cohort Studies; Early Detection of Cancer; Endometrial cancer; Female; Genital Neoplasms, Female - complications; Genital Neoplasms, Female - mortality; Gynecological cancer; Gynecology; Health aspects; Humans; Medical screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Nursing; Nursing Research; Oncology; Original Article; Ovarian cancer; Pain Medicine; Psychologists; Rehabilitation Medicine; Retrospective Studies; Sexual disorders; Sexual excitement; Sexual Health - standards; Survivor; Women; Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist; Supportive care; Gynecological cancer; Survivorship; Screening for sexual issues; Sexual function
• ISSN: 0941-4355; 1433-7339
• DOI: 10.1007/s00520-019-04872-4

Objective To assess the impact of a screening tool, the Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist for Women, on referral rates to physiotherapists, sexual counselors, and psychologists for sexual issues among patients attending the practices of two gynecological oncologists. Methods A prospective observational cohort study. A retrospective cohort of consecutive patients matched for age, diagnosis, and stage was used as a control group. Results Seventy-eight women were recruited to the intervention group. Diagnoses were endometrial carcinoma (38%), ovarian carcinoma (33%), and cervical carcinoma (24%). Sixty percent had completed adjuvant treatment, and 89% were married or in a de facto relationship. More than half of participants reported at least one sexual difficulty and were not satisfied with their sexual function. The most commonly reported sexual issue was decreased sexual desire. Twelve of 77 (15%) women screened in the intervention group were referred to a sexual counselor and/or a physiotherapist for a sexual issue. Twelve percent of women in the intervention group were referred to a sexual counselor, compared with 5% in the control group ( p  = 0.072). There was no difference in the proportion of women referred to a pelvic floor physiotherapist between the two groups (8% of women in the intervention group vs. 8% in the control group; p  = 1.000). Conclusions In the current study, the Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist for Women identified sexual health concerns in over half of gynecological cancer survivors and resulted in a non-significant trend to more referrals for sexual counseling.