The Assessment of Sexuality in Patients Treated for Breast cancer

Abstract

The prognosis of breast cancer has significantly improved in recent years thanks to advances in therapeutic options. Quality of life is increasingly recognized as a fundamental criterion in evaluating treatment outcomes. This highlights the particular impact on sexuality. Our objective is to evaluate the sexual well-being of Moroccan individuals undergoing treatment for non-metastatic breast cancer. This is a retrospective study involving a series of 230 sexually active patients treated for breast cancer at the Radiotherapy Department of the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat between January 1, 2022, and July 31, 2022. Sexual function was assessed during the end-of- treatment consultation using the Relationship and Sexuality Scale (RSS).The mean age of the patients was 47.24 years with a range from 32 to 65 years .Surgical treatment was radical mastectomy in 44% of instances, conservative lumpectomy was performed along with axillary lymph node dissection in 56% of cases.. The majority of patients (85.2%) received chemotherapy. More than half of the participants (71%) received adjuvant hormone therapy. Hormone therapy consisted of tamoxifen in 67.3% of cases and aromatase inhibitors in 32.7%. In terms of sexual dysfunction, more than half of the patients (61%) reported impaired sexual functioning. Specifically, the frequency of sexual intercourse and sexual desire (RSS 3 and RSS 4) decreased in 54% and 43% of our patients, respectively. In 65% of patients (measured by RSS 8 and RSS 13), dissatisfaction was noted concerning the emotional relationship dynamics within the couple. Regarding apprehension regarding sexual intercourse, 23% of patients reported experiencing such fear. Therapeutic management appears to have an impact on sexual function in patients with breast cancer. It is important to consider these disorders during management given their frequency and their impact on quality of life, even remotely from treatment and in the absence of any signs of disease progression.