Sexual rehabilitation recommendations for prostate cancer survivors and their partners from a biopsychosocial Prostate Cancer Supportive Care Program.

This study aimed to highlight the biopsychosocial recommendations provided to prostate cancer survivors and their partners during sexual rehabilitation.

Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained patient database was conducted for visits between 2013 and 2019. The sexual health rehabilitation action plan (SHRAP) is a standardized 29-item list of biopsychosocial recommendations. The frequency of biopsychosocial recommendations provided to patients via their SHRAPs was assessed.

Among 913 patients, across 2671 appointments, nearly 74% of patients underwent radical prostatectomy. Other treatments included combination therapy (surgery, radiation, and/or androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)) (13%), radiation (external beam radiation or brachytherapy) (5%), and active surveillance (2%). Each patient had a median of 2 (SD 2.06) appointments and received a mean of 10.0 (SD 3.9) recommendations at each visit. Educational recommendations (penile rehabilitation, orgasmic guidelines, and climacturia management) were provided in 84% of visits followed by psychosexual recommendations (pleasure-focused, dedicated time, simmering, sexual aids, and sensate focus) in 71% of all appointments. The top recommendations (total n, frequency of recommendation) were penile rehabilitation (2253, 84%), pleasure-focus (1887, 71%), phosphodiesterase inhibitors (1655, 62%), clinical counselor (1603, 60%), vacuum erectile device (1418, 53%) and intracavernosal injections (1383, 52%).

Biopsychosocial programs are evolving to be a key part of prostate cancer survivorship. This study's insight suggests that prostate cancer survivors require education around their sexual consequences and psychosexual counseling alongside proven biomedical strategies for erectile dysfunction.

Cancer survivorship programs should integrate educational and psychosocial strategies alongside biological strategies for prostate cancer survivors and their partners.

Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 2021 Oct 06 [Epub ahead of print]

Wallace Yuen, Luke Witherspoon, Eugenia Wu, Julie Wong, Sara Sheikholeslami, Jenna Bentley, Christine Zarowski, Monita Sundar, Stacy Elliott, Celestia Higano, Ryan Flannigan

Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Gordon & Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre, Level 6, 2775 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada., Prostate Cancer Supportive Care Program, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA., Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Gordon & Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre, Level 6, 2775 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada. .