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An outline of sexual problems in patients with breast cancer

Grażyna Jarząbek-Bielecka

Affiliacja i adres do korespondencji
Curr Gynecol Oncol 2018, 16 (1), p. 50–56
DOI: 10.15557/CGO.2018.0006
Streszczenie

Clinical practice points to the need for an individual approach to the sexuality of women affected by breast cancer, which is the most common female malignancy. Patients with breast cancer who undergo mastectomy are burdened with many bad experiences related both to the somatic and mental sphere, which usually results in distress. The latest treatment modalities have contributed to improved comfort of life in women with breast cancer. Importantly, the sexual life of patients is now also taken into account. Due to the advances in diagnostic methods, surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy of gynecological cancers, it is increasingly possible to achieve long-term survival and cure. Functional changes caused by the disease and the therapy used are related to the individual characteristics of women and have a multifactorial etiology. Medical personnel should address these issues during conversations with patients in an appropriate way, i.e. emphatically, respecting patient’s intimacy and dignity. Gynecological and sexological care deals with the most intimate problems and requires particular sensitivity and professional approach in women with breast cancer.

Słowa kluczowe
breast cancer, sexology, oncology, gynecology