Study Finds Many Young Adults Suffer Sexual Problems After Cancer Treatment

A new doctoral study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet has found that sexual difficulties are common among young people who have survived cancer treatment. The nature and severity of those difficulties shift considerably based on cancer type and how intensively the patient was treated. Charlotta Bergström, a nurse and doctoral student at the Karolinska Institutet, led the research, which covered more than 1,000 patients. 

The study drew on Fex-Can, a research project tracking sexual and reproductive outcomes in cancer patients, with follow-up surveys over five years. Those findings were set against responses from a cancer-free peer group to establish a point of comparison. The conditions represented in the study included breast cancer, gynecological cancers, testicular cancer, lymphoma, and brain tumors. 

Among women, those with breast or gynecological cancers were significantly more likely to report sexual difficulties than cancer-free peers at the one-year mark. Vaginal discomfort, lower sexual desire, orgasm difficulties, and dissatisfaction with their sex lives were among the most frequently reported complaints. Women whose treatment had been more aggressive were more likely to experience pronounced difficulties. 

Brain tumor patients were the exception, with satisfaction levels close to the cancer-free baseline and only a minority reporting reduced libido. Across every other diagnosis in the study, those experiencing sexual difficulties also tended to struggle with emotional distress and dissatisfaction with their bodies. That connection held regardless of cancer type, suggesting that the psychological weight of illness and treatment shapes sexual health independently of physical effects. 

Close to half the women and roughly a third of the men reported no memory of a healthcare professional raising this subject with them. That pattern points to a consistent gap in how cancer aftercare addresses sexual health. In Sweden alone, around 2,000 people between 18 and 39 are diagnosed with cancer every year, most of whom will go on to live for years afterward. 

The study also assessed Fex-Can Sex 1.0, a web-based program designed to help survivors manage sexual difficulties. It failed to produce measurable improvements in sexual function, but participants described the material as useful and easy to follow. Researchers saw that as an encouraging foundation for building more effective resources in the future. 

Bergström argued that addressing sexual health should become standard practice in cancer aftercare, with conversations and resources matched to each patient’s situation and cancer type. 

If you or someone you know is navigating the effects of cancer treatment on sexual health, speaking with a healthcare provider or a specialist in oncology rehabilitation can be a helpful starting point. 

As companies like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) continue with their efforts geared toward developing the next generation of medications indicated for brain cancer, there is hope that the treatments they commercialize could have a better safety profile and fewer side effects impacting the quality of life of patients. 

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