INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. – Premenopausal age was associated with a greater temporary decline in sexual desire 1 month after undergoing surgery for suspected gynecologic malignancies, results from an ancillary analysis showed.
“Sexual health is an important dimension of quality of life for women with gynecologic cancer,” Dr. C. Emi Bretschneider, lead study author, said at the annual scientific meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons. “Limited data exists on the impact of surgery for treatment of gynecologic cancer on patient-reported sexual desire and interest.”
Dr. C. Emi Bretschneider
In an effort to evaluate the impact on sexual function in women undergoing surgery for presumed or known gynecologic malignancies, the researchers performed an ancillary analysis of a cohort study analyzing quality-of-life and operative outcomes in 185 women who underwent gynecologic oncology procedures at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, between October 2013 and October 2014.
Study participants completed the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Sexual Function and Satisfaction Questionnaire (PROMIS-SFQ) at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. The questionnaire evaluates four subdomains of sexual function: global satisfaction with sex life, interest in sexual activity, lubrication, and vaginal discomfort. The researchers used student t-test and linear regression to compare mean score changes between cancer types, surgical route, menopausal status, and postoperative complications, said Dr. Bretschneider of the university’s department of obstetrics and gynecology.
Of the 281 patients initially enrolled, 185 (66%) completed the PROMIS-SFQ at baseline and at 1 month postoperatively, forming the primary cohort from which the researchers performed the analysis. Of these 185 patients, 170 (92%) completed the PROMIS-SFQ at 3 months and 174 (94%) completed the survey at 6 months postoperatively.
The average age of patients at baseline was 56 years: most (77%) were white, mean body mass index was 32.9 kg/m2, 62% were partnered, and 63% underwent minimally invasive procedures. Following surgery, 131 of the patients (71%) were diagnosed with a malignancy, most commonly uterine cancer (84%), followed by ovarian (23%), cervical (17%), and vulvar cancer (3%).
Dr. Bretschneider reported that the mean baseline sexual interest score among all study participants was 44.8. At 1 month postoperatively, the mean scores decreased a mean of 3.8 points from baseline to 41. By 3 and 6 months postoperatively, the mean sexual interest scores increased from baseline by 1.9 and 2.7 points, respectively, to 46.7 and 47.5.
Women younger than age 55 years had a greater decrease in sexual interest between baseline and 1 month postoperatively, compared with their counterparts aged 55 and older (a mean of –5.5 vs. –2.3 points, respectively; P = .02).
On multivariate analysis adjusted for cancer diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery, and cancer site, women younger than age 55 continued to have a greater decrease in sexual interest between baseline and 1 month postoperatively, compared with their counterparts aged 55 and older (a mean of –4.59 points). Additionally, women who had cancer had a greater drop in sexual desire, compared with those with benign disease (a mean of –5.6 points).
“This study offers new information on the impact of surgery on sexual function for women with gynecologic cancer,” Dr. Bretschneider said at the meeting, which was jointly sponsored by the American College of Surgeons. “The study was further strengthened by its prospective design and well-characterized, large cohort of women.” Weaknesses, she continued, include its generalizability, “which may be limited, as the study cohort was recruited from a single academic institution. Also, the small sample size for some cancer sites reduced our ability to sense cancer site as a causal agent for sexual dysfunction.”
Dr. Bretschneider reported having no financial disclosures.