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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women who survive genital-tract cancer may need more than just medical attention along with their cancer care.
A new study from the University of Chicago reveals these long-term survivors are pleased with the quality of their cancer care, but not as satisfied with the emotional support and information they got about dealing with the sexual effects of the disease and treatment.
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Researchers surveyed women who had been treated for a rare form of vaginal or cervical cancer. Most patients had surgery or radiation therapy in their late teens or their 20s and had survived more than 20 years after they were diagnosed with cancer.
Results show the cancer survivors were just as likely as the general population to be married and sexually active despite a much higher prevalence of sexual problems, including pain during intercourse and difficulty lubricating.
Seventy-four percent of participants believed doctors should initiate a discussion about sex, but 62 percent of women who had "severe compromise to their reproductive and sexual organs" said their doctors never brought up the subject. Study authors write women who had not had a discussion with their doctors were three-times as likely to have multiple sexual problems.
"We found that these women valued sexuality and participated in sexual relationships and activities at a rate similar to women who had not been through cancer treatment, but they were not adequately prepared for the sexual issues that their cancer or its treatment introduced," study author Stacy Lindau, M.D., from the University of Chicago, was quoted as saying.
A cancer survivor who responded to the survey was quoted as saying, "It seems unbelievable to me that a surgeon would remove one's sexual organs and never talk about sex."
The study also reveals women who had talked with their doctor about the sexual effects of cancer treatment were three-times less likely to have three or more concurrent sexual problems.
The authors conclude doctors need to improve their communication about sexuality with patients to help long-term survivors have the best overall outcomes.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Gynecologic Oncology, 2007;106:413418
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