Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium.
Dent Med Probl. 2022 Jul-Sep;59(3):323-332. doi: 10.17219/dmp/148156.
While sexuality and intimacy are suggested to contribute to quality of life (QoL), it is striking that the sexual problems of head and neck cancer patients have not been adequately studied.
Our aim was to prospectively assess the impact of head and neck cancer and its treatment on sexuality and intimacy.
A questionnaire study with a 6-month follow-up period was conducted at the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium, using the Maudsley marital questionnaire (MMQ), the sexual adjustment questionnaire (SAQ) and the short sexual functioning scale (SSFS) to prospectively assess the impact of head and neck cancer and its treatment on sexuality and intimacy.
Twelve patients (67%) reported a negative impact on their sexuality and/or intimacy. There were significant declines in marital, sexual and general life satisfaction (p < 0.000) at the 6-month follow-up as compared to baseline. There was a significant increase in frustration after sexual activity (p = 0.031). Sexual desire was also impacted, with a near doubling of patients reporting a decline. The perceived importance of discussing sexual issues with one's physician significantly increased from 7 to 16 patients (p = 0.004).
Sexual problems are common after head and neck cancer treatment. Using a screening instrument can help to identify patients that need intervention. Discussing sexuality and intimacy issues that patients may face before, during and after treatment can have a positive impact on QoL.
尽管性行为和亲密关系被认为有助于生活质量（QoL），但令人惊讶的是，头颈部癌症患者的性问题尚未得到充分研究。
我们旨在前瞻性评估头颈部癌症及其治疗对头颈部癌症患者的性行为和亲密关系的影响。
在比利时鲁汶大学医院进行了一项前瞻性问卷调查研究，使用莫兹利婚姻问卷（MMQ）、性调整问卷（SAQ）和简短性功能量表（SSFS），评估头颈部癌症及其治疗对性行为和亲密关系的影响。
12 名患者（67%）报告说他们的性行为和/或亲密关系受到了负面影响。与基线相比，6 个月随访时婚姻、性和一般生活满意度显著下降（p < 0.000）。性活动后的挫败感显著增加（p = 0.031）。性欲望也受到影响，报告下降的患者几乎增加了一倍。与医生讨论性问题的重要性从 7 名患者增加到 16 名患者（p = 0.004）。
头颈部癌症治疗后常出现性问题。使用筛查工具可以帮助识别需要干预的患者。在治疗前、治疗期间和治疗后与患者讨论他们可能面临的性和亲密关系问题，可以对生活质量产生积极影响。
