Evaluation of sexual dysfunction in Brazilian women with breast cancer
partial results
Keywords:
breast neoplasms, sexuality, dyspareunia, quality of lifeAbstract
Objective: To assess the pattern of sexual performance in women treated for breast cancer. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study on women treated for breast cancer. Inclusion criteria: to have undergone the first-line therapy for cancer and the cancer not being classified as stage IV. Data on cancer were collected by the analysis of medical records. For the evaluation of sexual performance, women were submitted to individual interviews, with the application of the Quociente Sexual – Versão Feminina (QS‑F) questionnaire. Sexual performance was classified as: bad, unfavorable, regular, good, and excellent. The diagnosis of sexual dysfunction was established to women with score ≤ 60. For descriptive analyses, absolute (n) and relative (%) frequencies were performed, and for the comparison between the quantitative variables the Student’s t-test was used. Results: 31 women with a mean age of 55.2 years were included, 35% were classified as clinical stage II, 84% underwent conservative surgery, 65% underwent chemotherapy, and 80% used endocrinotherapy. Regarding sexual performance, 62% spontaneously think about sex, 35% are always interested in sex, and 51.7% have some degree of pain during intercourse. After calculating the score, it was concluded that 6.5% had bad sexual performance; 19.4%, unfavorable; 19.4%, regular; 41.9%, good; and 12.8%, excellent. The mean score was 58.7 points (standard deviation = 21.4, median of 64, minimum of 16, and maximum of 90 points), and 45.2% of women were diagnosed with sexual dysfunction. The provided treatments and the length of follow-up did not have a significant correlation with sexual performance. Conclusion: Most women treated for breast cancer had sexual performance classified as “good and excellent,” although a significant percentage had a diagnosis of sexual dysfunction.
Downloads
References
Soldera SV, Ennis M, Lohmann AE, Goodwin PJ. Sexual health in long-term breast cancer survivors Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2018;172(1):159-66. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-018-4894-8
Instituto Nacional de Câncer. Portal [Internet]. Rio de Janeiro: INCA [cited on Sept. 12, 2019]. Available from: http://www.inca.gov.br
Jing L, Zhang C, Li W, Jin F, Wang A. Incidence and severity of sexual dysfunction among women with breast cancer: a meta-analysis based on female sexual function index. Support Care Cancer. 2019;27(4):1171-80. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-04667-7
Makluf ASD, Dias RC, Barra AA. Avaliação da qualidade de vida em mulheres com câncer da mama. Rev Bras Cancerol. 2006;52(1):49-58.
Sehati Shafaee F, Mirghafourvand M, Harischi S, Esfahani A, Amirzehni J. Self-Confidence and Quality of Life in Women Undergoing Treatment for Breast Cancer. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2018;19(3):733-40. https://doi.org/10.22034/APJCP.2018.19.3.733
Coady D, Kennedy V. Sexual Health in Women Affected by Cancer: Focus on Sexual Pain. Obstet Gynecol. 2016;128(4):775-91. https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0000000000001621
Panjari M, Bell RJ, Davis SR. Sexual function after breast cancer. J Sex Med. 2011;8(1):294-302. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.02034.x
Weinberger JM, Houman J, Caron AT, Anger J. Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Systematic Review of Outcomes Across Various Treatment Modalities. Sex Med Rev. 2019;7(2):223-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sxmr.2017.12.004
Abdo CHN. Quociente Sexual Feminino: Um Questionário Brasileiro para Avaliar a Atividade Sexual da Mulher. Diagn Tratamento. 2009;14(2):89-1.
Faubion SS, Larkin LC, Stuenkel CA, Bachmann GA, Chism LA, Kagan R, et al. Management of genitourinary syndrome of menopause in women with or at high risk for breast cancer: consensus recommendations from The North American Menopause Society and The International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health. Menopause. 2018;25(6):1-13. https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000001121
Carter J, Lacchetti C, Andersen BL, Barton DL, Bolte S, Damast S, et al. Interventions to Address Sexual Problems in People With Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Adaptation of Cancer Care Ontario Guideline. J Clin Oncol. 2018;36(5):492-511. https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2017.75.8995
Candy B, Jones L, Vickerstaff V, Tookman A, King M. Interventions for sexual dysfunction following treatments for cancer in women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;(2):CD005540. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005540.pub3
Gandhi C, Butler E, Pesek S, Kwait R, Edmonson D, Raker C, et al. Sexual Dysfunction in Breast Cancer Survivors. Is it Surgical Modality or Adjuvant Therapy?Am J Clin Oncol. 2019;42(6):500-6. https://doi.org/10.1097/coc.0000000000000552
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Letícia Barbosa Sposito, Caroline Nakano Vitorino, Vanildo Prado, Felipe Bedran Neto, Jair Verginio Junior, Marco Aurélio Mestrinel, Fernando Viana Hummel, Daniel de Araújo Brito Buttros
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
