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. 2022 Sep 21;19(19):11921.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191911921.

Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Cancer: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies

Thais Sousa Rodrigues Guedes  1 , Marcello Barbosa Otoni Gonçalves Guedes  2 , Rebeca de Castro Santana  2 , José Felipe Costa da Silva  3 , Amanda Almeida Gomes Dantas  1 , Mirari Ochandorena-Acha  4 , Marc Terradas-Monllor  4 , Javier Jerez-Roig  4 , Dyego Leandro Bezerra de Souza  3
Affiliations

Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Cancer: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies

Thais Sousa Rodrigues Guedes et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Several factors affect sexual function, including cancer development and treatment. This study summarized the risk of women with cancer of developing sexual dysfunctions.

Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). We searched the EMBASE, PubMed, LILACS, SciELO, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science databases using the descriptors cancer, neoplasms, sexual dysfunction, sexual function, and women. The Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies assessed the quality of studies.

Results: Sixteen studies were included in this review. Women with cancer presented sexual dysfunctions in 14 out of 16 included studies. The incidence of sexual dysfunctions ranged from 30% to 80%, while the risk of developing sexual dysfunction increased 2.7- and 3.5-fold in women with cervical and breast cancer, respectively.

Conclusion: Different cancer treatments increase the risk of developing sexual dysfunction in women, especially desire, arousal, and orgasm, leading to biopsychosocial changes in the health of this population.

Keywords: longitudinal studies; neoplasms; sexual dysfunction; systematic review; women.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA 2020 flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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