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[Sexuality and neoplastic disease]
G Beretta1, S Baruffi, C Bellorofonte
1Oncologia Medica e Riabilitativa-Istituto Pio Albergo Trivulzio, Milano.
Summary
Cancer treatments like chemotherapy, hormone therapy, surgery, and radiotherapy can cause sexual dysfunction. This review details these effects and proposes a grading scale to track sexual health changes in patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Sexual Medicine
Context:
- Neoplasia and its treatments are associated with significant adverse effects impacting patient quality of life.
- Sexual dysfunction is a common yet often underreported consequence of cancer care.
Purpose:
- To review the principles and occurrence of cancer-related sexual impairment.
- To detail the impact of various cancer treatments on sexual function.
- To propose a grading scale for evaluating sexual dysfunction in oncology.
Summary:
- Cancer treatments including chemotherapy, hormone manipulation, surgery, and radiotherapy can induce physical and psychological sexual dysfunctions.
- A novel grading scale, aligned with WHO guidelines, is presented for consistent data collection and evaluation of sexual dysfunction severity (0-4).
Impact:
- Provides a framework for clinicians to systematically assess and manage sexual health issues in cancer patients.
- Facilitates reproducible clinical data collection for research and improved patient care strategies.
- Highlights the multifaceted nature of cancer-related sexual dysfunction, encompassing physical and psychological aspects.