This episode features Isabel S. van der Meer (Department of Research and Development, The Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, Utrecht, The Netherlands).
What was already known?
The diagnosis of advanced cancer and subsequent treatments can have negative implications for sexual health
Changes in sexual health of patients with advanced cancer emerge from physical, mental and emotional transformations, but the importance of sexual health remains relatively unchanged.
The majority of healthcare professionals find it challenging to discuss sexual health in the context of palliative care.
What this paper adds?
Patients and their partner remain relatively stable in most aspects of sexual health in the last 18months of the patients' life.
Patients' sexual desire significantly decreases in their last 18months of life.
Patients with worse physical functioning and/or prostate cancer reported a greater decline in most aspects of sexual health.
Patients' sexual desire, activity and satisfaction were individually associated with the quality of life in the last 18months of life.
Implications for practice, theory, policy, or future research?
Recognizing sexual health as an integral component of overall quality of life is essential.
Discussing sexual health as healthcare professionals is important. Using short PROM's exploring the patient's need to discuss sexual health could facilitate the initiation of such a discussion.
Future research is essential to examine whether patients perceive decreased sexual health as a concern and whether the meaning of sex changes at the end-of-life.
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