Karen Roberts1, Travis Chong2, Emma Hollands1,2, Jason Tan3, Ganendra Raj Kader Ali Mohan1, Paul A Cohen4,5. 1. St John of God Subiaco Hospital, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia. 2. School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia. 3. WOMEN Centre, West Leederville, Western Australia, Australia. 4. St John of God Subiaco Hospital, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia. paul.cohen@uwa.edu.au. 5. Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. paul.cohen@uwa.edu.au.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a screening tool, the Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist for Women, on referral rates to physiotherapists, sexual counselors, and psychologists for sexual issues among patients attending the practices of two gynecological oncologists. METHODS: A prospective observational cohort study. A retrospective cohort of consecutive patients matched for age, diagnosis, and stage was used as a control group. RESULTS: Seventy-eight women were recruited to the intervention group. Diagnoses were endometrial carcinoma (38%), ovarian carcinoma (33%), and cervical carcinoma (24%). Sixty percent had completed adjuvant treatment, and 89% were married or in a de facto relationship. More than half of participants reported at least one sexual difficulty and were not satisfied with their sexual function. The most commonly reported sexual issue was decreased sexual desire. Twelve of 77 (15%) women screened in the intervention group were referred to a sexual counselor and/or a physiotherapist for a sexual issue. Twelve percent of women in the intervention group were referred to a sexual counselor, compared with 5% in the control group (p = 0.072). There was no difference in the proportion of women referred to a pelvic floor physiotherapist between the two groups (8% of women in the intervention group vs. 8% in the control group; p = 1.000). CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, the Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist for Women identified sexual health concerns in over half of gynecological cancer survivors and resulted in a non-significant trend to more referrals for sexual counseling.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a screening tool, the Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist for Women, on referral rates to physiotherapists, sexual counselors, and psychologists for sexual issues among patients attending the practices of two gynecological oncologists. METHODS: A prospective observational cohort study. A retrospective cohort of consecutive patients matched for age, diagnosis, and stage was used as a control group. RESULTS: Seventy-eight women were recruited to the intervention group. Diagnoses were endometrial carcinoma (38%), ovarian carcinoma (33%), and cervical carcinoma (24%). Sixty percent had completed adjuvant treatment, and 89% were married or in a de facto relationship. More than half of participants reported at least one sexual difficulty and were not satisfied with their sexual function. The most commonly reported sexual issue was decreased sexual desire. Twelve of 77 (15%) women screened in the intervention group were referred to a sexual counselor and/or a physiotherapist for a sexual issue. Twelve percent of women in the intervention group were referred to a sexual counselor, compared with 5% in the control group (p = 0.072). There was no difference in the proportion of women referred to a pelvic floor physiotherapist between the two groups (8% of women in the intervention group vs. 8% in the control group; p = 1.000). CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, the Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist for Women identified sexual health concerns in over half of gynecological cancer survivors and resulted in a non-significant trend to more referrals for sexual counseling.
Entities:
Keywords:
Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist; Gynecological cancer; Screening for sexual issues; Sexual function; Supportive care; Survivorship
Authors: Janet M de Groot; Kenneth Mah; Anthony Fyles; Susan Winton; Sarah Greenwood; Denny DePetrillo; Gerald M Devins Journal: J Psychosom Res Date: 2007-08-02 Impact factor: 3.006
Authors: Jennifer L Marino; Christobel M Saunders; Laura I Emery; Helena Green; Dorota A Doherty; Martha Hickey Journal: Menopause Date: 2016-09 Impact factor: 2.953
Authors: Juliane Farthmann; A Hanjalic-Beck; J Veit; B Rautenberg; E Stickeler; T Erbes; M Földi; A Hasenburg Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2016-01-04 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Leen Aerts; Paul Enzlin; Ignace Vergote; Johan Verhaeghe; Willy Poppe; Frederic Amant Journal: J Sex Med Date: 2011-11-14 Impact factor: 3.802
Authors: Katrina F Trivers; Jennifer Rees Patterson; Katherine B Roland; Juan L Rodriguez Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2013-07-12 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Laura B Huffman; Ellen M Hartenbach; Jeanne Carter; Joanne K Rash; David M Kushner Journal: Gynecol Oncol Date: 2015-11-07 Impact factor: 5.482
Authors: Zohreh Mohammadi; Raziyeh Maasoumi; Nafiseh Vosoughi; Tahereh Eftekhar; Mehdi Soleimani; Ali Montazeri Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2022-08-23 Impact factor: 3.359