Talking about sex with health professionals: the experience of people with cancer and their partners

TLDR

Changes to sexuality can be one of the most difficult aspects of life following cancer. The study investigates how people with cancer and their partners experience discussions about sexuality with health care professionals across various cancer types. The authors surveyed 657 people with cancer and 148 partners, using closed and open‑ended items analyzed by ANOVA and thematic analysis. Men with cancer were more likely to report discussing sexuality with HCPs (68% vs 43% for women), women partners more likely than male partners (47% vs 28%), and those with sexual or reproductive cancers reported more discussions; men with cancer and women partners were most eager to discuss sexuality and reported highest satisfaction, yet many expressed dissatisfaction with HCPs’ unwillingness or poor quality of discussion, highlighting unmet sexual information and support needs.

Abstract

Changes to sexuality can be one of the most difficult aspects of life following cancer. This study examines the experience of discussing sexuality post cancer with health care professionals (HCPs), from the perspective of women and men with cancer (PWC), and their partners (PPWC), across a range of cancer types. A total of 657 PWC (535 women, 122 men) and 148 PPWC (87 women, 61 men) completed a survey containing closed and open-ended items, analysed by analysis of variance and thematic analysis. Discussions about sexuality with a HCP were more likely to be reported by men (68%) compared to women PWC (43%), and by women (47%) compared to men PPWC (28%), as well as by those with a sexual or reproductive cancer. Men PWC and women PPWC were most likely to want to discuss sexuality with a HCP, with men PWC and PPWC reporting highest levels of satisfaction with such discussions. Open-ended responses revealed dissatisfaction with the unwillingness of HCPs to discuss sexuality, unhappiness with the nature of such discussion, and positive accounts of discussions about sexuality with HCPs. These findings lend support to the notion that people with cancer and their partners may have unmet sexual information and support needs.