Evaluation of sexual dysfunction in gynecologic cancer survivors using DSM-5 diagnostic criteria

• Published in: BMC women's health Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Lin, Hao, Fu, Hung-Chun, Wu, Chen-Hsuan, Tsai, Yi-Jen, Chou, Yin-Jou, Shih, Chun-Ming, Ou, Yu-Che
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 05.01.2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Cancer Survivors; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; Chi-square test; Complications and side effects; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Disease; DSM-5; Endometrial cancer; Endometrial Neoplasms - complications; Endometrial Neoplasms - epidemiology; Female; Females; Genital cancer; Genital Neoplasms, Female - complications; Genital Neoplasms, Female - epidemiology; Gynecologic cancer survivors; Humans; Medical diagnosis; Mental disorders; Ovarian cancer; Pain; Prevalence; Radiation; Risk factors; Sexual behavior; Sexual disorders; Sexual dysfunction; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological - diagnosis; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological - epidemiology; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological - diagnosis; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological - epidemiology; Sociodemographics; Statistical analysis; Statistics; Survivors; Womens health; Taiwan; United States > US; Gynecologic cancer survivors; Sexual dysfunction; DSM-5
• ISSN: 1472-6874; 1472-6874
• DOI: 10.1186/s12905-021-01559-z

In gynecologic cancer survivors, female sexual dysfunction (FSD) remains under-investigated. We attempted to estimate the prevalence of FSD associated with distress in gynecologic cancer survivors using diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fifth edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria and to identify women at risk for FSD. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of premenopausal women aged 20-50 with various gynecologic cancers at least one year after treatment between January 2017 and December 2019. Data of sociodemographics and physical conditions were collected via face-to-face interview during outpatient clinic visits. The domains we used to define FSD were based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Statistical analysis was carried out using Student's t test, Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression. A total of 126 gynecologic cancer survivors with a mean age of 42.4 years were included for analysis and 55 of them (43.7%) were diagnosed as having FSD associated with distress based on DSM-5 criteria. More than half of women (65.1%) reported decreased sexual satisfaction after cancer treatment. According to DSM-5 definition, the most common female sexual disorders were sexual interest/arousal disorder (70.9%), followed by genitopelvic pain/penetration disorder (60.0%), and orgasmic disorder (20.0%). In multiple logistic regression model, endometrial cancer diagnosis was the only independent factor predicting less influence of cancer treatment on FSD (OR 0.370; 95% CI 0.160, 0.856). The first study to use DSM-5 criteria for estimation of FSD prevalence. This enables clinicians to identify which women are actually needed to seek medical help. A prevalence of 43.7% of FSD associated with distress was found in a group of gynecologic cancer survivors with the most common being sexual interest/arousal disorder. Endometrial cancer survivors were at low risk for developing FSD after treatment.