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ABSTRACT: After treatment for prostate cancer, multidisciplinary sexual rehabilitation involving couples appears more promising than traditional urologic treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). The authors of this report conducted a randomized trial comparing traditional or internet-based sexual counseling with waitlist (WL) control.
Couples were randomized adaptively to a 3-month WL, a 3-session face-to-face format (FF), or an internet-based format (WEB1). A second internet-based group (WEB2) was added to examine the relation between web site use and outcomes. At baseline, post-WL, post-treatment, and 6-month, and 12-month follow-up assessments, participants completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 to measure emotional distress, and the abbreviated Dyadic Adjustment Scale.
Outcomes did not change during the WL period. Of 115 couples that were randomized to FF or WEB1 and 71 couples in the WEB2 group, 34% dropped out. Neither drop-outs nor improvements in outcomes differed significantly between the 3 treatment groups. In a linear mixed-model analysis that included all participants, mean ± standard deviation IIEF scores improved significantly across time (baseline, 29.7 ± 17.9; 12 months, 36.2 ± 22.4; P < .001). FSFI scores also improved significantly (baseline, 15.4 ± 8.5; 12 months, 18.2 ± 10.7; P = .034). Better IIEF scores were associated with finding an effective medical treatment for ED and normal female sexual function at baseline. In the WEB2 group, IIEF scores improved significantly more in men who completed >75% of the intervention.
An internet-based sexual counseling program for couples was as effective as a brief, traditional sex therapy format in producing enduring improvements in sexual outcomes after prostate cancer.
Cancer 09/2011; 118(2):500-9. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Adjusting to cancer requires effective cognitive and emotional processing. Written and verbal disclosure facilitate processing and have been studied independently in cancer survivors. Combined written and verbal expression may be more effective than either alone, particularly for patients with difficult to discuss or embarrassing side effects. Thus, the authors developed and tested the efficacy of a 12-session combined written and verbal expression group program for psychologically distressed colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.
Forty post-treatment patients with CRC (stages I-III) identified as psychologically distressed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were randomized to an intervention group (Healthy Expressions; n = 25) or standard care (control group; n = 15). Assessments were completed at baseline, Month 2, and Month 4 (postintervention). Primary outcomes were psychological functioning and quality of life (QOL).
Most participants were women (63%), white (63%), and non-Hispanic (75%). The Healthy Expressions group demonstrated significantly greater changes in distress compared with the control group at Month 2 on the BSI Global Severity Index (GSI) and the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) scores (P < .05 for each); differences in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) global QOL scores approached significance (P = .063). The BSI GSI and Positive Symptom Total, CES-D, and EORTC emotional functioning subscale scores were all significant at Month 4 (P < .05 for each).
The Healthy Expressions program improved psychological functioning in CRC patients who reported experiencing distress. Findings demonstrate the program's feasibility and provide strong support for conducting a larger randomized trial.
Cancer 04/2011; 117(21):4993-5002. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to supplement screening mammography and clinical breast examination (CBE) in women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer. In this study, the authors investigated the efficacy of alternating screening mammography and breast MRI every 6 months in women who had a genetically high risk of developing breast cancer.
A retrospective chart review was performed on all women who were seen in a high-risk breast cancer clinic from 1997 to 2009. Patients with breast cancer gene (BRCA) mutations who underwent alternating screening mammography and breast MRI every 6 months were included in the study. Mammography, ultrasonography, MRI, and biopsy results were reviewed.
Of 73 patients who met the study criteria, 37 had BRCA1 mutations, and 36 had BRCA2 mutations. Twenty-one patients (29%) completed 1 cycle of mammography and MRI surveillance, 23 patients (31%) completed 2 cycles, 18 patients (25%) completed 3 cycles, and patients 11 (15%) completed ≥ 4 cycles. The median follow-up was 2 years (range, 1-6 years). Thirteen cancers were detected among 11 women (15%). The mean tumor size was 14 mm (range, 1-30 mm), and 2 patients had bilateral cancers. Twelve of 13 cancers were detected on an MRI but not on the screening mammography study that was obtained 6 months earlier. One cancer (a 1-mm focus of ductal carcinoma in situ) was an incidental finding in a prophylactic mastectomy specimen. One patient had ipsilateral axillary lymphadenopathy identified on ultrasonography but had no evidence of lymph node involvement after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery.
In women who were at genetically high risk of developing breast cancer, MRI detected cancers that were not identified on mammography 6 months earlier. Future prospective studies are needed to evaluate the benefits of this screening regimen.
Cancer 03/2011; 117(17):3900-7. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Sexual function in male lymphoma survivors was examined and compared with that of age-matched controls.
This cross-sectional study included serum gonadal hormone levels (testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, luteinizing hormone [LH], and follicle-stimulating hormone) and responses to questionnaires assessing sexual function (Brief Sexual Function Inventory [BSFI]), socioeconomic factors, quality of life, emotional distress, and fatigue. The lymphoma group included 246 men < or = 50 years old at diagnosis who were diagnosed from 1980 to 2002 and treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital. For each lymphoma survivor, two age-matched controls (n = 492) were drawn from a normative sample with BSFI scores.
The lymphoma survivors had a mean age at survey of 47.4 years, the mean duration of follow-up was 14.8 years, and 79% lived in committed relationships. All BSFI domain scores decreased significantly with age. Lymphoma survivors having low testosterone and/or elevated LH had lower BSFI scores than survivors with normal gonadal hormones. Multivariate analyses showed that increasing age, more emotional distress, poor physical health, and low testosterone and/or elevated LH were significantly associated with reduced sexual function within the lymphoma group. Lymphoma survivors had significantly lower BSFI domain scores than did controls on erection, ejaculation, and sexual satisfaction.
Lymphoma survivors had significantly poorer sexual function than normative controls. It is unclear whether the abnormal hormone levels directly cause the reduced sexual function within the lymphoma group or if a mediating factor is involved, such as aging, emotional distress, or perceived health status.
Journal of Clinical Oncology 10/2009; 27(35):6019-26. · 18.37 Impact Factor
