Addressing Sexual Toxicity Among Cancer Survivors: Clinicians Challenges and Potential Interventions

PurposeSexual health is often negatively impacted by cancer treatment. Despite its importance, discussions regarding this topic are not uniformly performed between clinicians and patients. We designed a survey to determine how oncologists manage the sexual health concerns of cancer patients.MethodsAn IRB-approved electronic survey was administered to oncologists from 2017-2019 using a web-based platform. The survey assessed how clinicians approach the topic, identify common concerns, and determine various resources for their patients. Associations between physician characteristics and questions of interest were investigated using Chi-square tests, or Fisher's exact tests with significance set as P < .05.Results388 physicians responded. 56.5% were male, 52.5% had practiced for more than 10 years, and 49% practiced in an academic hospital. Specialties included 25.7% urology, 27.3% medical oncology, 15.1% radiation oncology, and 13.7% gynecological oncology. 75.1% of respondents stated that they discuss sexual health with patients. 74.4% did not provide standardized sexual health assessments. 81.9% reported that they had not received formal training surrounding sexual health communication. Common complaints from patients included sexual desire (68.7%), vaginal dryness (64.7%), erectile dysfunction (61.7%), painful intercourse (60.4%), and fertility (52%). Educational resources included therapists (72.5%), pamphlets (41.8%), support groups (39.6%), and websites (32.3%). Physicians who treated patients for prostate cancer were more likely to discuss sexual health and provide standardized assessments than those who treated patients with various female cancers.ConclusionAlthough most clinicians discuss sexual health with patients, many do not use standardized assessments, nor have formal training in sexual health issues.