Abstract P1-17-11: Sexual function in Mexican patients with breast cancer receiving active oncological treatment
Authors: Cordón-Paz Mónica Lily , Lara-Mejía Luis , Olvera-Cruz Ana , Mejía-Fernández Lorelí , Milke-Garcia Pilar , Chavarri-Guerra Yanin 
Published: March 2020

Background: It is widely recognized that women's sexuality can be particularly complex during the treatment of breast cancer. This, in turn, has physical, emotional and psychological consequences throughout the life of these patients. However, there is limited information regarding sexual health in Hispanic women with breast cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate sexual dysfunction in Mexican women with breast cancer who were receiving active treatment against cancer.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated sexual dysfunction among Mexican patients with breast cancer receiving active oncological treatment at a single institution in Mexico City using the Spanish language version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). FSFI is graded as a continuous scale from 2-36, and is formed of 6 subscales (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain) with a maximal score of 6 each. Sexual dysfunction was defined as an FSFI &lt;26.55 points. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the clinical record and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Fisher's exact tests were used for comparisons among groups.

Results: 84 women with breast cancer undergoing active treatment completed the FSFI. Median age was 57 years (range 25-87), 59.2% were postmenopausal, and 46.4% were married. Median body mass index (BMI) was 25.2. 60% of patients had early stage breast cancer (Stage 0-II), 64% were receiving hormonal treatment (average duration of 28.3 months), and 25% were undergoing treatment with chemotherapy. 42% had undergone breast conserving surgery, while 28% had received a mastectomy. 51 patients (60.7%) reported absence of sexual activity during the previous four weeks. Patients who reported sexual activity in the previous four weeks had a mean FSFI score of 23 points (range 15.7-44) and 63.6% had sexual dysfunction. Subscale scores were as follows: desire 1.7 (range 1.2-2.4), arousal 2.9 (range 1.5-5.1), lubrication 3.1 (range 1.5-4), orgasm 3.6 (range 1.1-4.8), satisfaction 4.0 (range 1.2-5.6), and pain 2.5 (range 1.2-5.2). Premenopausal women were more likely than postmenopausal women to report sexual dysfunction (85% vs. 44%, p = 0.02) with a mean FSFI score of 20.9 and 17.3 respectively. Among postmenopausal women with sexual dysfunction, the lowest scores were found in the desire (1.72) and pain domains (2.5). Desire (3.2) and lubrication (3.27) were the domains with the lowest scores among premenopausal patients. Sexual dysfunction was not related to the type of breast surgery (mastectomy vs breast conserving, p = 0.26).

Conclusions: Our study shows a significant proportion of Mexican women with breast cancer have sexual dysfunction and absence of sexual activity. Premenopausal patients were more frequently affected, particularly in the desire and lubrication domains, while postmenopausal women reported poor desire and pain. This provides valuable information to design innovative strategies aimed at improving the sexual health and quality of life of patients diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing active oncological treatments.

Citation Format: Mónica Lily Cordón-Paz, Luis Lara-Mejía, Ana Olvera-Cruz, Lorelí Mejía-Fernández, Pilar Milke-Garcia, Yanin Chavarri-Guerra. Sexual function in Mexican patients with breast cancer receiving active oncological treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-17-11.