2023-09-27 13:07:00
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, In France. In 2023, 61,214 new cases were detected. Every year, nearly 12,000 women die from it.
Each breast cancer has its particularities, which justifies the use of appropriate treatment.
This is defined according to several criteria inherent to cancer such as its type, its location, its stage, the existence of hormonal receptors for estrogens and progesterone on the cancer cells (necessary for treatment by hormonal therapy to work) or also the possible contraindications to the treatments.
The most commonly used treatments for breast cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy and targeted therapies.
But unfortunately, their effects are not only beneficial on the tumor. Indeed, their action can negatively impact the health of patients moreover, post-processing.
Some women may be at risk of early menopause, especially those who have had treatments such as hormone therapy, ablation or chemotherapy.
A woman who has had breast cancer must also wait if she wishes to have a child and must rely on the advice of her doctor.
Finally, sexual health can be impacted in the long term, as a team of researchers has just proven.
A study of 1,200 female breast cancer survivors
The study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment found that women who had breast cancer experienced poorer sexual health compared to women who did not have the disease.
To reach these conclusions, the researchers compared data from 1,241 long-term breast cancer survivors, aged 20 to 65, diagnosed at stages 1 to 3 in 2011 or 2012, to those of 17,751 control women. similar ages.
Breast cancer: long-term survivors have poorer sexual health
Long-term breast cancer survivors treated with both endocrine chemotherapy and chemotherapy had clinically lower sexual functioning, lower sexual enjoyment and more sexual discomfort compared to controls. Additionally, sexual health impairments were more pronounced among survivors who were premenopausal at the time of breast cancer diagnosis.
“This knowledge is important, not only for BCS (long-term survivors), but also for health care providers. During follow-up, attention to sexual health deficiencies, especially among BCS with these risk factors, should be provided and addressed according to relevant recommendations,” the researchers said.
Sexuality after breast cancer: a question little addressed by patients and medical teams
Although monitoring of the overall health of patients is necessary post-illness, they are often not not comfortable with the issue of sexuality and the medical team not really aware of this subject.
This is what journalist Anne Borden King, a breast cancer survivor, recounts in the magazine Healthy Debate: “My cancer team, which is focused on saving lives, did not take the time to take care of sexual health during my appointments. I didn’t talk about it either for fear of losing precious minutes of my appointment in an overly stressed health system. But I have since learned that there is an urgent need to make space for these discussions. Quality of life is an indicator of health and even longevity – and for most people, a healthy sex life is one of them. »
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