(006) Characterizing Unmet Needs of Female Cancer Survivors Seeking Sexual Health Education Through Social Media
Authors: Barnett R , Tevis S E , Rojas K E 
Published: May 2023

Introduction

As targeted therapies lead to improved cancer survival, there remains an unmet need to address consequences of those treatments on survivors’ sexual health and satisfaction. Online education around sexuality after cancer is becoming more widespread, and recent work has shown that cancer survivors prefer to receive information about sexual side effects early and often.

Objective

We sought to describe the population of survivors seeking this information through social media, while further characterizing the needs of this growing population.

Methods

An investigator-designed online survey was made available through the social media page of a sexual health after cancer program. Participation was anonymous and voluntary, and the investigator-generated, 10-item instrument included multiple choice questions assessing age, cancer diagnosis and treatment characteristics, presence and type of sexual health concerns, and the type of utilization of online resources for health-related information. The final question allowed for a short answer response of educational needs. Descriptive analyses of the multiple-choice questions, and qualitative content analysis of the open response themes were assessed and described.

Results

301 female cancer survivors completed the survey. Most respondents were 44 years old or younger (66%), and most had breast cancer (89%). Leukemia/lymphoma, cervical, uterine, ovarian, colon/other bowel, melanoma, and brain malignancy survivors also participated. Most participants reported painful sex (36%) or low desire (34%) as their most bothersome problem. Vaginal dryness (20%), body image issues (7%), and problems with orgasm (4%) were also reported. Participants’ most bothersome symptom stratified by cancer diagnosis is depicted in Figure 1. Most respondents were very or somewhat likely to seek sexual health information online (81%), particularly on Instagram (80%). 161 participants described additional information they sought online in a free-response question, which were included in the qualitative analyses. These participants expressed a need for more information regarding their concerns about low desire (25%), pain/discomfort during sex (15%), changing body image (11%), and vaginal dryness (11%). 35% sought product recommendations and 14% requested information about how to address their cancer treatments’ side effects. Survivors also asked for advice in navigating relationships, resuming sex lives, and dating after cancer (17%). Notably, participants expressed gratitude for the accessible, evidenced-based information and the sense of community that the page fostered.

Conclusions

Female cancer patients, particularly premenopausal survivors, are seeking sexual health information online about desire, body image, and relationships/dating, as well as genitourinary concerns after cancer. Their utilization of online forums highlights the need for improved access to survivorship resources, and more open communication with their providers and other patients, especially pertaining to potentially sensitive topics like sexuality and intimacy after cancer. Future work will allocate resources to providing a range of sexual health-related online education during and after treatment.

Disclosure

No