Table 3 Patient and partner sexual satisfaction and mental wellbeing
From: Unmet needs in sexual health in bladder cancer patients: a systematic review of the evidence
Study [ref] | Age range | Self-reported patient and partner satisfaction (if data available) | Mental wellbeing | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
[18] | 50–65 | Participants were found to have frequent erectile dysfunction, ejaculation disorder, fear of hurting spouse/partner and leakage during sexual intercourse. The participants’ spouse/partner were found to have fear of hurting, decrease in sexual desire, inability to get pleasure/orgasm and avoiding sexual intercourse. | No data. | Interview |
[19] | 50–65 | 20% of participants were not sexually satisfied. No data regarding partner. | Among the patients, 42 (84%) of them were not feeling bad about their bladder tumors and 37 (74%) were not worrying about their daily lives. Moreover, 12 (24%) patients were not interested with sexuality. | International Sexual Function Index (IIEF-5) and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI |
[20] | 50–65 | TMT was associated with higher sexual quality of life. No data regarding partner. | Compared with RC, the patients treated with TMT reported significantly better perception of their body image. Patients who underwent TMT had significantly fewer concerns about their appearance and less life interference from their cancer diagnosis. Overall, the negative impact of cancer was significantly less for patients who had undergone TMT. | QoL questionnaire |
[21] | 66–80 | 37.5% patients in the study agreed that treatment affected their sexual function. No data regarding partner. | At the time of diagnosis, patients of both sexes reported relatively high feelings of depression. | Semi-structured interviews. |
[22] | 66–80 | Forty-six patients enrolled in the study. Of those, only 27 patients responded to the statement “I am satisfied with my sex life”. Approximately the same number of patients agreed as disagreed, but the main response was neither to agree nor to disagree with this statement. Thirty-one patients responded to the statement “My sex life is not functioning”. Most patients agreed with this statement. Only 23 patients responded to the statement “I am very happy with my sex life”. Again, most patients neither agreed nor disagreed. No data regarding partner. | The patients were asked whether the change in their body appearance had resulted in psychological problems which had influenced their sex life. Twenty-five patients (61%) answered that this was not the case, whereas 11 (27%) answered that this was the case. | Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire |
[23] | 50–65 | Radical cystectomy group, through the 4 measurements points, started, stayed and ended on a lower level than the case-control patients regarding overall sexual satisfaction. No data regarding partner. | The mean score for trait anxiety was similar in both groups (RC and CC). Only 5.6% of all RC patients had a high anxious personality compared to 20% in the CC group, but this was not statistically significant. | International Index of Erectile Function (FSFI) and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) |
[24] | 50–65 | No data regarding sexual satisfaction. No data regarding partner. | Among patients who had undergone RC, 8.5% of the responders reported being unhappy with their body image, compared with the 5% reported by patients in BI group. | FACT-BL + additional concerns |