Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, USA.
Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, USA.
J Cancer Surviv. 2019 Apr;13(2):224-230. doi: 10.1007/s11764-019-00744-2. Epub 2019 Feb 27.
Sexual dysfunction is one of the most prevalent and distressing treatment-related side effects for both male and female cancer survivors. Survivorship care guidelines recommend therapeutic sexual aids to help improve sexual problems. However, little is known about the availability of sexual aids and resources at cancer centers.
Twenty-five comprehensive cancer centers affiliated with both the National Cancer Institute and the National Comprehensive Care Network were surveyed using the "mystery shopper" method to determine whether various types of sexual aids were available at the centers. Staffs from cancer center staff retail stores and patient boutiques were queried in separate telephone calls regarding the availability of these aids for and women.
Of the 25 centers contacted, 23 (92%) responded about aids for men, and 22 (88%) responded about aids for women. Eighty-seven percent of the centers reported having no sexual aids available for men, and 72% of centers reported having no aids available for women. The most common advice given to mystery shoppers was a suggestion to use the internet. Only one center had numerous aids/resources for both men and women.
The large majority of cancer centers reported having no sexual aids or other sexual health resources available for men or women.
Results underscore the widespread lack of resources to promote sexual health rehabilitation at major cancer centers, both for male and female survivors.
性功能障碍是男性和女性癌症幸存者最常见和最痛苦的治疗相关副作用之一。生存护理指南建议使用治疗性性辅助器具来帮助改善性问题。然而，对于癌症中心的性辅助器具和资源的可用性知之甚少。
使用“神秘顾客”方法调查了 25 家隶属于美国国立癌症研究所和国家综合护理网络的综合性癌症中心，以确定中心是否提供各种类型的性辅助器具。癌症中心员工零售店和患者精品店的员工分别通过电话询问这些辅助器具对男性和女性的可用性。
联系的 25 个中心中，有 23 个（92%）对男性的辅助器具做出了回应，有 22 个（88%）对女性的辅助器具做出了回应。87%的中心报告说没有男性可用的性辅助器具，72%的中心报告说没有女性可用的辅助器具。向神秘顾客提供的最常见建议是建议使用互联网。只有一个中心有大量的男性和女性的性辅助器具/资源。
绝大多数癌症中心报告说没有男性或女性的性辅助器具或其他性健康资源。
研究结果强调了在主要癌症中心普遍缺乏促进性健康康复的资源，无论是男性幸存者还是女性幸存者。
