In recent years attention has been focused not only on the treatment of cancer but also on the quality of life for cancer patients, and there is a need to resolve a complexity of problems such as loss of self-image, the damage to one's physical
image,
the fear of the loss of one's sexual functions, and the loss of the value of existance as a woman.
With these points in mind, the authors undertook this questionnaire study. The subjects were 257 patients diagnosed with cancer of the cervix and accordingly treated, and the following results were obtained.
The age distribution of the age group showed that 79 (30.7%) were between 40 and 49 years, being the most common, followed by 78 (30.4%) who were between 50 and 59 years. The age distribution according to the mode of treatment showed that in the
group
who had received surgery, the mean was 44 years, and in the group received radiotherapy, 54 years.
When the frequency of coitus according to each age group is compared before and after cancer treatment, it showed that those in the 20's showed a decrease from 20 to 10.5 times/month, those in the 30's from 7.2 to 3.9, in the 40.a from 3.2 to
1.5.
The
frequency according to the mode of treatment showed that it decreased from 5.9 to 3.2 times/month after surgery. After radiotherapy, the difference in coital frequency between the patients received hormonal replacement therapy and those and those
who
did not was statistically significant. The frequency of coitus between the radiation therapy group with hormonal replacement and the two(P<0.05).
Analysis of the types and frequency of sexual dysfunction showed that decreased sexual desire was most common, being present in 58.2% of patients, patients, and many factors contributed to decrease sexual activity after treatment for cervical
cancer
such as fear of recurrence, loss of libido, dyspareunia, and so on.
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