Academic Journal
Exploring sexual health and function among Malaysian patients with advanced cancer: insights from the EORTC QLQ SH-22 questionnaire.
| Τίτλος: | Exploring sexual health and function among Malaysian patients with advanced cancer: insights from the EORTC QLQ SH-22 questionnaire. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Yaakup H; Supportive & Palliative Care Service, Sunway Medical Centre, 5 Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, 47500, Malaysia. hayatiy@sunmed.com.my., Goh PH; Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia., Mustafa H; School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia., Ho JFV; Supportive & Palliative Care Service, Sunway Medical Centre, 5 Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, 47500, Malaysia., Lee QY; Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia., Wong PL; Clinical Research Centre, Division of Medical Education and Research, Sunway Medical Centre, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia., Cheong MWL; School of Pharmacy, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. |
| Πηγή: | Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer [Support Care Cancer] 2026 Oct 01; Vol. 34 (10). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Oct 01. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer International Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 9302957 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1433-7339 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09414355 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Support Care Cancer Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Berlin : Springer International, c1993- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Neoplasms*/psychology , Neoplasms*/complications , Sexual Behavior*/psychology , Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological*/epidemiology , Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological*/etiology , Quality of Life* , Sexual Health*, Humans ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Malaysia ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Male ; Adult ; Aged ; Self Concept ; Personal Satisfaction |
| Περίληψη: | Purpose: Sexual health is an essential yet often overlooked component of quality of life in oncological care. This study aimed to explore the sexual health experiences of Malaysian patients with advanced cancer, utilizing a culturally adapted and validated tool to guide gender-sensitive, contextually relevant supportive care interventions. Methods: Patients diagnosed with advanced solid-organ cancers were recruited from a quaternary healthcare facility in Malaysia. The study employed the validated EORTC QLQ SH-22 (EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Sexual Health 22), the 6-item Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-6), alongside single-item queries regarding self-esteem and life and relationship satisfaction. Correlational analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships among gender, performance status, and sexual functioning. Results: Of the 120 participants, the average age was 49.1 years (SD = 11.4); 63.3% were female, and 82.5% had good performance status. 51.6% reported recent sexual activity. Improved sexual functioning was linked to sexual satisfaction, perceived importance of sex, and reduced symptoms such as vaginal dryness (r = -0.43, p < 0.01) in women and erectile confidence in men (r = 0.51, p < 0.01). Male gender was associated with perceived importance of sex (p = 0.005, d = 0.54) and less sexual pain (p < 0.001, d = 0.87). Lower performance status correlated with increased fatigue-related sexual dysfunction (p = 0.010) and concerns about incontinence (p = 0.013). Conclusions: Sexual health interventions for advanced cancer patients should consider gender-specific and cultural factors. Future research should focus on longitudinal trends and intervention strategies tailored to diverse cultural contexts. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethics approval: The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards outlined in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. The Sunway Medical Centre Independent Research Ethics Committee approved this study on 13 December 2022, approval number: 022/2022/IND/FR. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Cancer; EORTC; Palliative care; Sexual dysfunction; Sexual health |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20261001 Date Completed: 20261001 Latest Revision: 20261015 |
| Update Code: | 20261016 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13630803 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00520-026-11261-1 |
| PMID: | 42821010 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1433-7339 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s00520-026-11261-1 |