title: Sexual Health and Quality of Life Assessment among Ovarian Cancer Patients during Chemotherapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the last decades many successful efforts have been made in order to increase life expectancy in ovarian cancer (OC) patients. However, just a few studies have investigated the impact of OC on quality of life (QoL) and sexual function in OC cases during treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the QoL and sexual function of OC patients during chemotherapy (CT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine subjects were enrolled and filled in the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-OV28, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) questionnaires. The results were evaluated globally and consequently stratified into several groups: single surgery versus multiple surgeries, age ≤48 years versus >48 years, and first-line CT versus multiple lines of CT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Menopause-related symptoms, body image and attitude toward the disease were significantly worse during first-line CT (p = 0.018, p = 0.029 and p = 0.006, respectively). Sexual outcomes resulted in better scores in younger patients in all questionnaires (FSFI: p = 0.001; FSDS: p = 0.048; specific EORTC QLQ-OV28 items: p = 0.022). Scores concerning body image, attitude toward the disease and CT-associated symptoms resulted worse in patients after the first surgery (p = 0.017, p = 0.002 and p = 0.012, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study confirms that OC has a detrimental impact on QoL and intimacy, particularly in younger patients, during the first course of CT and after the first cytoreductive surgery.
authors: Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Urological Sciences, University 'Sapienza' of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors: Lavinia
authors: L
authors: Domenici
authors: Innocenza
authors: I
authors: Palaia
authors: Margherita
authors: M
authors: Giorgini
authors: Valerio Piacentino
authors: VP
authors: Piscitelli
authors: Federica
authors: F
authors: Tomao
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Marchetti
authors: Violante
authors: V
authors: Di Donato
authors: Giorgia
authors: G
authors: Perniola
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Musella
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Monti
authors: Ludovico
authors: L
authors: Muzii
authors: Pierluigi
authors: P
authors: Benedetti Panici
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001290:Attitude; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology; D065426:Cytoreduction Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008594:Menopause, Premature / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D011788:Quality of Life; D012086:Reoperation; D019529:Sexuality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents