ASPO Abstracts
Sexual Function Among Women with Endometrial Cancer in North Carolina
Category: Survivorship & Health Outcomes/Comparative Effectiveness Research
Conference Year: 2020
Abstract Body:
Purpose: Data from a large hospital-based cohort of Endometrial Cancer (EC) patients in North Carolina
were used to describe sexual function and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) outcomes. Methods:
Adult female participants in the UNC Cancer Survivorship Cohort who completed a baseline PROMIS
Sexual Function and Satisfaction Questionnaire (PROMIS-SFQ) and had a diagnosis of EC were
included. The PROMIS-SFQ includes 10 items evaluating female sexual function across 4 subdomains:
Interest in sexual activity, Lubrication, Vaginal discomfort, and Satisfaction with sex life. Scores were
transformed to T-score distributions with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. HRQOL was
assessed with the general (FACT-G) and EC-specific (FACT-EN) scales; physical distress with the
Rotterdam Symptom Checklist, and urinary incontinence with the International Consultation on
Incontinence short form. Multivariable generalized linear models were used to assess associations of
factors with sexual function scores and also scores with HRQOL. Results: Among 429 women who
completed the PROMIS-SFQ, mean age at EC diagnosis was 61 years (range: 26-93). Most women
(93%) were within a year of diagnosis at survey (range: <1-21). Overall, 75% had local stage disease,
20% regional, and 5% distant. Surgery alone was the most common form of treatment (55%), followed by
surgery with adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy (19%), and surgery with radiation alone (11%). About
35% of women reported engaging in sexual activity after diagnosis. Global satisfaction with sex life T
scores did not vary by age but appeared positively associated with physical activity and inversely
associated with higher body mass index and a history of hysterectomy; however, these results were not
statistically significant. There was a strong association between sexual function subdomains and patient-
reported HRQOL measures. Across all four subdomains, more favorable sexual function scores were
associated with higher composite HRQOL, lower physical distress, higher physical and functional well-
being, and less severe urinary incontinence (p≤0.02). Conclusions: Sexual function was related to physical
function and HRQOL among EC survivors and should be considered as a part of patient-centered cancer
care.
Keywords: Sexual Function; Health- Related Quality of life; Endometrial Cancer