Breast and pelvic cancer survivors preferred psychosexual interventions delivered by sexual health specialists after active treatment, with content addressing education, emotional management, communication skills, and sexual script flexibility, though format preferences (group vs. individual) varied by cultural values.
Key Findings
Results
Cancer survivors preferred psychosexual interventions to be delivered by therapists who specialized in sexual health rather than general mental health providers.
Participants expressed a desire for providers with specific expertise in sexual health concerns related to cancer treatment
This preference suggests dissatisfaction or anticipated dissatisfaction with general mental health providers addressing sexual concerns
The finding indicates a need to improve training for mental health providers in assessing and treating sexual health concerns
Results
Patients preferred to engage in psychosexual interventions after active cancer treatment was complete rather than during treatment.
Timing preference was a consistent theme across the 35 participants
Participants had completed radiotherapy at least 12 months prior to enrollment, suggesting the interview sample itself reflected a post-treatment population
This preference has implications for when psychosexual support services should be offered or promoted in clinical care pathways
Results
Preferences for group versus individual intervention format were divided and influenced by cultural values around privacy of sexual health concerns.
Some patients expected validation and support from a group format psychosexual intervention
Other patients preferred one-on-one format due to cultural values stressing the importance of keeping sexual health concerns private
The study highlights that cultural values may impact patients' preferences for engaging in psychosexual interventions
The authors recommend examining how cultural values impact format preferences when designing interventions
Results
Survivors identified four categories of unmet psychosexual needs that should be addressed in intervention content.
The four content areas identified were: (a) psychosexual education, (b) help with managing negative thoughts and emotions around sex, (c) communication skills around sex, and (d) help with being flexible in the face of sexual side effects
These preferences were derived from participants' current unmet psychosexual needs post-treatment
The inclusion of sexual script flexibility as a desired content area supports consideration of sexual script flexibility interventions in this population
Methods
The study enrolled 35 female and gender-diverse breast and pelvic cancer survivors who had completed radiotherapy at least 12 months prior to enrollment.
The sample included both breast and pelvic cancer survivors
The sample was gender-diverse, including female and gender-diverse individuals
Data were analyzed using thematic analysis
The minimum 12-month post-radiotherapy enrollment criterion ensured participants were reflecting on post-treatment sexual health experiences
Discussion
The study found that integrating medical and psychosexual support is important for breast and pelvic cancer survivors experiencing sexual dysfunction post-treatment.
Breast and pelvic cancer patients commonly experience sexual dysfunction post-treatment
Results highlight the importance of integrating medical and psychosexual support for this population
The findings point to a gap between existing care and the specialized psychosexual support survivors prefer
What This Means
This research explores what breast and pelvic cancer survivors want when it comes to getting help for sexual health problems that arise after cancer treatment. The researchers interviewed 35 women and gender-diverse people who had finished radiation therapy at least a year before the study. Through in-depth one-on-one interviews and careful analysis of the conversations, they identified clear patterns in what kinds of support survivors wanted and how they wanted it delivered.
Survivors expressed strong preferences for seeing therapists who specialize specifically in sexual health, rather than general counselors, and they wanted this support to begin after their cancer treatment was finished rather than during it. They also wanted help with four specific things: learning more about how cancer affects sexuality, managing difficult emotions and negative thoughts related to sex, learning how to talk with partners about sexual changes, and finding new ways to experience intimacy when their bodies had changed. When it came to whether they wanted group therapy or private one-on-one sessions, opinions were divided — and that divide was often shaped by cultural backgrounds, with some people feeling that sexual health is a deeply private matter not to be discussed in groups.
This research suggests that cancer care programs need to do a better job connecting survivors with specialized sexual health support, and that mental health providers working with cancer patients need better training in this area. It also suggests that any program designed to help cancer survivors with sexual health needs to be flexible enough to accommodate different cultural backgrounds and personal preferences about privacy. The finding that survivors want help adapting to sexual changes — being 'flexible in the face of sexual side effects' — points to a promising direction for future therapeutic approaches.
Carney L, Besculides M, Gorbenko K, Schnur J, Munoz C, Lynch J, et al.. (2025). Breast and Pelvic Cancer Survivors' Preferences for Psychosexual Interventions to Address Sexual Health Concerns: A Qualitative Study.. Psycho-oncology. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.70200