Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41569439›Full record

ArticleArchives of gynecology and obstetrics2026

Sexual health of female breast cancer survivors and their partners.

Anna Sophia Flechtenmacher, Lina Judit Schiestl, Susanne Singer, Annette Hasenburg

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Anna Sophia FlechtenmacherDepartment of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany. anna-flechtenmacher@t-online.de.ORCID 0009-0003-3751-5921
Lina Judit SchiestlDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-1433-3433
Susanne SingerDepartment of Quality of Life in Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (CCC-MV), University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5784-7964
Annette HasenburgDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1547-4968

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo investigate sexual health in breast cancer survivors and their partners, focusing on sexual satisfaction, changes in satisfaction with partner sexuality before vs. after the diagnosis, and unmet informational needs on sexual health in the context of breast cancer.

methodsBreast cancer patients and their partners were surveyed at a single time point 1-5 years after having completed primary therapy for breast cancer as part of a cross-sectional study. Study participants completed self-report-questionnaires covering personal characteristics, a question on satisfaction with partner sexuality before (retrospective assessment) versus after the diagnosis (based on the Sexual Medicine Questionnaire for Chronic Diseases (SFCE)), the EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) Sexual Health Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-SH22) together with the EORTC Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), and a questionnaire assessing sexual health care. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic and clinical data. For group comparisons, dyadic dependencies were accounted for, applying paired t tests when normality (Shapiro-Wilk test) was met and Wilcoxon signed-rank test otherwise.

resultsA total of 128 participants (64 patients, 64 partners) were enrolled. Sexual satisfaction did not differ between patients (M = 55, SD = 20.9) and partners (M = 56.7, SD = 20) (t test, p = 0.46). A positive correlation was found between patients' and partners' sexual satisfaction (r = 0.62, p < 0.0001). Satisfaction with partner sexuality was lower after diagnosis (p < 0.001, r = 0.54)-with both patients and partners being less satisfied after the diagnosis (M = 2.58, SD = 0.95) than before (M = 3.14, SD = 0.74). Overall, 75% of the study participants reported not having received information about sexual health issues related to breast cancer, while 64% expressed a desire for more information.

conclusionThe findings of this study highlight the importance of considering couple dynamics in breast cancer care. Patients and partners have unmet needs concerning sexual health in the context of breast cancer. Addressing sexuality may improve quality of life and psychosocial adjustment. Future research should include larger, more diverse samples and focus on assessing sexuality and sexual health as multidimensional constructs in line with WHO (World Health Organization) definitions.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsCancer SurvivorsSexual HealthSexualitySexual PartnersAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPersonal SatisfactionQuality of LifeSexual BehaviorSurveys and QuestionnairesEORTC QLQ-C30EORTC QLQ-SH22Patient-reported outcomesSexualitySexual satisfaction

Identifiers

PMID41569439
PMCPMC12827338

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.