Cancer can cause severe negative effects on the sexual function (SF) of the individuals and the quality of life. This study aims at understanding the SF of individuals who underwent radical cystectomy (RC).

A cohort study was conducted on 150 patients with bladder cancer. The data was collected from one institute between 2016 and 2019. The subjects were given questionnaires to assess the condition, and the results were used for generalized linear modeling and descriptive statistical analysis.

Among 150, 132 were eligible for the study. Out of those, 82% were men with a median age of 68.5 years. 53% of the subjects mentioned decreased sexual desire, and 40% mentioned activity in the last four weeks. The sexual function score was 61.5 +/- 25.2. Women had a worse score of 72.9 +/- 27.1 while men had 59.1 +/- 24.2.

A considerable amount of subjects with RC are sexually active with good desire during the study period. Female subjects have a worse level of desire and activity than their male counterparts. Further study is required to support the findings of this study. Such studies will help to create novel methods to improve the quality of life of the patients.

Ref: https://www.jsm.jsexmed.org/article/S1743-6095(20)30718-9/fulltext

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