title: Sexual function in patients with metastatic midgut carcinoid tumours.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sexual dysfunction is a poorly studied aspect of quality of life in patients with midgut carcinoid tumours. We investigated whether carcinoid patients experience sexual problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with metastatic midgut carcinoid tumours filled in a validated questionnaire for sexual dysfunction. The prevalence of dysfunction on the subscales arousal, erection, lubrication, orgasm and dyspareunia was compared to a Dutch reference population. Plasma concentration of gonadal hormones, tryptophan and urinary 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid concentrations were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  43 patients were studied, 27 men and 16 women. Sexual dysfunction was present in 29.6% of men and 6.3% of women. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction on the different subscales did not differ from the reference population. Patients with a sexual dysfunction had, compared to those without a sexual dysfunction, a longer duration of disease, 95.3 months (range 5.4-314.5) versus 18.6 months (range 0.6-167.9) (p = 0.024), lower plasma tryptophan concentration (+/-SD) of 31.5 +/- 16.1 and 48.9 +/- 14.5 micromol/l (p = 0.031), and more often used interferon-alpha, 50% of patients versus 10.5% of patients (p = 0.044).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with metastatic midgut carcinoid tumours do not experience sexual problems more often than a reference population. Male patients with sexual dysfunction are characterised by more long-standing disease and lower tryptophan concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. a.n.a.van.der.horst@int.umcg.nl
authors.forename: Anouk N A
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: van der Horst-Schrivers
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Ieperen
authors.forename: A N Machteld
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Wymenga
authors.forename: H Marike
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Boezen
authors.forename: Willibrord C M
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Weijmar-Schultz
authors.forename: Ido P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Kema
authors.forename: Wim G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: Wouter W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: de Herder
authors.forename: Pax H B
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Willemse
authors.forename: Thera P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Links
authors.forename: Elisabeth G E
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: de Vries
mesh_terms: D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000150:complications*