Sexual rehabilitation in a cancer center: diagnosis and outcome in 384 consultations

Abstract

A program of sexual rehabilitation in a cancer center evaluated 308 men and 76 women, using a structured interview. The site of the malignancy was pelvic or genital in 79% of men and 58% of women. Most patients (73%) had one or two sessions of sexual counseling, but therapy was more intensive for about a quarter of patients. Partners were included in counseling by 28% of women and 56% of men. Although cancer patients and spouses of patients reported similar rates of sexual dysfunction before cancer diagnosis, after cancer treatment husbands and wives of patients maintained stable sexual function, while dysfunctions increased dramatically in all categories except premature ejaculation for patients. Patients who were older or had pelvic/genital tumors were more likely to develop arousal-phase sexual dysfunctions. Psychological distress was correlated with rates of low sexual desire and dyspareunia in both men and women. The success of treatment in reversing sexual dysfunction was rated by the therapist in 118 cases. Patients who were younger, who were not clinically depressed, and who had less conflicted marriages had more positive outcomes. Good outcome was also associated with a longer duration of treatment.