Sixty-one percent of people with cancer self-reported never having talked about their sexual health during their cancer care, with four statistically significant variables decreasing and two increasing the likelihood of having such discussions.
The majority of survey participants reported that sexual activity worsened following cancer treatment.
Sixty-one percent of people with cancer self-reported never having talked about their sexual health during their cancer care.
Univariate analysis found little agreement with proposed barriers to sexual health care but more agreement with proposed facilitators of care.
Four statistically significant variables decreased the likelihood of people with cancer ever having talked to professionals about their sexual health.
Two statistically significant variables increased the likelihood of people with cancer having talked to professionals about their sexual health.
Although few barriers to sexual health care were identified, most of those identified related to organisational aspects of the hospital setting.
This research suggests that sexual health is rarely discussed between cancer patients and their hospital care teams in the UK. In a survey of people who had received cancer treatment, 61% reported that they had never discussed their sexual health with their cancer care team, even though the majority said their sexual activity had worsened after cancer treatment. The study used statistical analysis to identify which factors made these conversations more or less likely to occur. The research found that concerns about privacy within the hospital environment were among the most significant factors making these conversations less likely to happen. Being sexually active in the past year was one of the factors that made a discussion more likely. Interestingly, when participants were asked about potential barriers in general terms, they did not strongly agree that many barriers existed — yet in practice, most reported never having had the conversation, pointing to a disconnect between perceived and actual barriers. This research suggests that improving privacy in hospital settings and proactively initiating conversations about sexual health — rather than waiting for patients to raise the topic — could help address an important but frequently neglected aspect of cancer care. The findings point to the need for structural and organisational changes within hospital settings, rather than simply individual clinician behaviour, as a key focus for improving sexual health support for people with cancer.
Sheppard S, Culliford D, Glen T, Lee S, Sheppard Z, Porter S. (2025). Care for sexual health in oncology survey: a regression analysis of variables associated with the likelihood of people with cancer having a sexual health discussion with the hospital cancer team.. European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2025.102977