Changes in Sexuality and Sexual Dysfunction over Time in the First Two Years after Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer
by
, , , , , ,
Margot A. Stone
1,2, 
Birgit I. Lissenberg-Witte
2,3,
Remco de Bree
4
,
Jose A. Hardillo
5
,
Femke Lamers
6,7,
Johannes A. Langendijk
8,
C. René Leemans
1,2,
Robert P. Takes
9, 
Femke Jansen
1,2 and
Irma M. Verdonck-de Leeuw
1,2,7,10,* 1
Department Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2
Cancer Center Amsterdam, Treatment and Quality of Life, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3
Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
4
Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
5
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
6
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
7
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
8
Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
9
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
10
Department of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Cancers 2023, 15(19), 4755; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15194755
Submission received: 21 August 2023
/
Revised: 18 September 2023
/
Accepted: 23 September 2023
/
Published: 27 September 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Targeting Head and Neck Cancer)
Simple Summary
Many head and neck cancer patients report sexual problems. A deterioration in sexuality and sexual dysfunction from baseline to 3 months after treatment was observed especially in patients treated with chemoradiation. This effect seems to differ between men and women. Men reported change in erectile function, orgasm, satisfaction with intercourse, and overall satisfaction, while women reported change in desire, arousal, and orgasm. These findings are helpful to improve information on sexuality and sexual care in head and neck cancer patients.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate changes in sexuality and sexual dysfunction in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients in the first two years after treatment, in relation to the type of treatment. Data were used of 588 HNC patients participating in the prospective NETherlands Quality of life and Biomedical Cohort Study (NET-QUBIC) from diagnosis to 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after treatment. Primary outcome measures were the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The total scores of the IIEF and FSFI were dichotomized into sexual (dys)function. In men, type of treatment was significantly associated with change in erectile function, orgasm, satisfaction with intercourse, and overall satisfaction. In women, type of treatment was significantly associated with change in desire, arousal, and orgasm. There were significant differences between treatment groups in change in dysfunctional sexuality. A deterioration in sexuality and sexual dysfunction from baseline to 3 months after treatment was observed especially in patients treated with chemoradiation. Changes in sexuality and sexual dysfunction in HNC patients were related to treatment, with an acute negative effect of chemoradiation. This effect on the various domains of sexuality seems to differ between men and women.
Keywords:
head and neck cancer; sexuality; sexual dysfunction; surgery; radiotherapy; chemotherapy
