Providers often failed to address survivors' sexual health, and minority women cancer survivors felt uncomfortable discussing sexual health with providers because of their backgrounds, experiences, and cultural taboos about sex.
Key Findings
Results
Healthcare providers frequently failed to address sexual health concerns with minority women cancer survivors.
Finding emerged from semistructured interviews with women cancer survivors who self-identify as a sexual, racial, or ethnic minority
Sample consisted of 11 women cancer survivors and 3 partners in the Tampa Bay area in Florida
Participants were cohabitating with a partner for at least six months at time of study
The failure to address sexual health was identified as a consistent theme across participant interviews
Results
Minority women cancer survivors felt uncomfortable discussing sexual health with their healthcare providers due to cultural and personal factors.
Participants cited their backgrounds, experiences, and cultural taboos about sex as reasons for discomfort
The study used semistructured interviews to explore survivor and partner experiences and perspectives related to sexual healthcare delivery after cancer
Discomfort was identified as a barrier to receiving sexual health care in the survivorship period
The intersectionality of sexual minority, racial minority, and ethnic minority identities was examined as a compounding factor
Results
Some participants experienced a lack of partner support in pursuing sexual health interventions after cancer.
Partner perspectives were captured through interviews with 3 partners of the cancer survivors
Lack of partner support was identified as a distinct barrier to sexual health care among this population
This finding highlights the relational dimension of sexual health challenges in cancer survivorship among minority groups
Conclusions
The study identified a need for oncology nurses and advanced practice professionals to be trained in culturally competent sexual health communication with minority women cancer survivors.
Authors concluded that oncology nurses and advanced practice professionals need to be trained to prioritize sexual health among minority women cancer survivors
Training should facilitate 'comfortable, culturally competent conversations about sexual health'
The pilot study design (n = 11 survivors, n = 3 partners) was exploratory in nature, using qualitative semistructured interviews
The study was conducted in the Tampa Bay area in Florida
Methods
The study explored the intersectionality of sexual health and cancer survivorship care specifically among women from minority groups and their partners.
Participants self-identified as a sexual, racial, or ethnic minority
Both survivor experiences and partner perspectives were examined through qualitative methodology
The study aimed to 'illuminate the unique challenges faced' by this population
Inclusion criteria required cohabitation with a partner for at least six months
What This Means
This research suggests that women cancer survivors who belong to minority groups—including sexual, racial, or ethnic minorities—face significant barriers to receiving sexual health care after their cancer treatment. In a pilot study of 11 survivors and 3 of their partners in the Tampa Bay, Florida area, researchers used in-depth interviews to understand participants' experiences. A key finding was that healthcare providers often simply did not bring up sexual health topics, and survivors themselves felt too uncomfortable to raise these concerns due to cultural backgrounds and taboos surrounding sex.
The study also found that some survivors lacked support from their partners when it came to seeking out sexual health interventions, adding another layer of challenge. These barriers—provider silence, personal discomfort, cultural taboos, and limited partner support—combined to leave many minority women cancer survivors without needed sexual health care during survivorship.
This research suggests that oncology nurses and other advanced healthcare providers need targeted training to make sexual health conversations a routine part of cancer survivorship care, particularly for minority women. Such training would need to be culturally sensitive and equip providers to initiate these conversations in a way that feels safe and respectful for patients from diverse backgrounds. Because this was a small pilot study, the findings are preliminary, but they point to an important gap in survivorship care that warrants further investigation.
Arthur E, Anderson V, Robertson T, Rechenberg K, Geiss C, Fulton H, et al.. (2026). Sexual Health Care of Women Cancer Survivors Among Minority Groups: A Pilot Study.. Oncology nursing forum. https://doi.org/10.1188/26.ONF.e26535280