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Sexual desire of French representative prostate cancer survivors 2 years after diagnosis (the VICAN survey)

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Abstract

Purpose

The prostate cancer impacts on the future life of survivors. The complexity of sexual health problems in prostate cancer survivors is underestimated or often reduced to the erectile dysfunction. Especially, factors influencing sexual desire of patients have to be more explored. This study aims to describe the therapeutic management of patients with prostate cancer and assess their sexual desire 2 years after diagnosis.

Methods

This study is part of the National VICAN survey (Vie après le CANcer) implemented in France in 2012. This analysis was performed on a population of 414 men who had prostate cancer. The questionnaire dealt with several topics including socioeconomic status, treatments received, and sexual desire.

Results

Prostatectomy (42.8%), radiotherapy + hormonotherapy (17.6%), and radiotherapy alone (12.8%) were the main treatments used. 41.3% of men stated that their sexual desire was all gone since disease. The “satisfying” perceived financial situation was significantly associated to a sexual desire loss (p = 0.008). Radiotherapy + hormonotherapy treatment only is significantly associated with a loss of sexual desire (P = 0.003).

Conclusions

Two years after diagnosis, the sexual desire of prostate cancer survivors is deteriorated with the cancer experience. However, clinical characteristics do not seem to be decisive unlike a “satisfying” financial situation. Research about the impact of socio economics characteristics on sexual health should probably be engaged. Programs have to be developed in France to have personalized sexual support progressed for survivors and take spouses into consideration in this context.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the members of the VICAN Group: Thomas Aparicio, Emmanuel Babin, François Beck, Daniel Benamouzig, Robert Benamouzig, Marc-Karim Bendiane, Cyril Bérenger, Dominique Bessette, Anne-Déborah Bouhnik, Philippe-Jean Bousquet, Marie-Claude Cabanel-Gicquel, Michèle Chantry, Claire Chauvet, Jacqueline Clavel, Sébastien Cortaredona, Véronique Danguy, Sarah Dauchy, Mario Di Palma, Michel Dorval, Jean-Baptiste Herbet, Laetitia Huiart, Xavier Joutard, Marianick Lambert, Anne-Gaëlle Le Corroller-Soriano, Stéphane Legleye, Julien Mancini, Jean-François Morère, Nora Moumjid-Ferdjaoui, Hermann Nabi, Alain Paraponaris, Patrick Peretti-Watel, Graziella Pourcel, Marie Préau, Frédérique Retornaze, Dominique Rey, Benoît Riandey, Laetitia Rollin, Luis Sagaon-Teyssier, Valérie Seror, Archana Singh-Manoux, Catherine Thieblemont, and Patricia Verney.

Funding

The VICAN study was funded by the French National Institute of Cancer (Institut National du Cancer, INCa) “Contrat de recherche et développement no 05-2011.”

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. HESPER EA 7425, University of Lyon, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69373 Cedex 8, Lyon, France

    Magali Girodet & Isabelle Ray-Coquard

  2. EMS department, Cancer Centre Leon Berard, 28 rue Laennec, 69373 Cedex 8, Lyon, France

    Magali Girodet & Isabelle Ray-Coquard

  3. Aix Marseille University, INSERM, IRD, SESSTIM, Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de l’Information Médicale, 27 boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385, Marseille Cedex 5, France

    Anne-Déborah Bouhnik, Julien Mancini & Marc-Karim Bendiane

  4. BiosTIC, AP-HM, La Timone Hospital, 264 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13385, Marseille Cedex 5, France

    Julien Mancini

  5. ORS PACA, Southeastern Health Regional Observatory, 27 boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Cedex 5, Marseille, France

    Patrick Peretti-Watel

  6. Aix Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, VITROME: Tropical and Mediterranean Vectors – Infections, Marseille, France

    Patrick Peretti-Watel

  7. GREPS, Psychology Institute, Lyon 2 University, 5 avenue P. Mendès-France, 69676, Bron, France

    Marie Preau

Authors
  1. Magali Girodet
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  2. Anne-Déborah Bouhnik
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  3. Julien Mancini
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  5. Marc-Karim Bendiane
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  6. Isabelle Ray-Coquard
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  7. Marie Preau
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Magali Girodet.

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Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (the CCTIRS: Comité Consultatif sur le Traitement de l’Information en Matière de Recherche dans le Domaine de la Santé, study registered under no 11-143, the ISP: Institute of Public Health, study registered under no C11–63 and the CNIL: French Commission on Individual Data Protection and Public Liberties, study registered under no 911290) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the VICAN study.

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Girodet, M., Bouhnik, AD., Mancini, J. et al. Sexual desire of French representative prostate cancer survivors 2 years after diagnosis (the VICAN survey). Support Care Cancer 27, 2517–2524 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4536-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4536-z

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