Validation of the MENQOL for use with women who have been treated for gynecologic or breast cancer.

Purpose: To conduct a psychometric evaluation of the MENQOL, a condition-specific, self-report instrument to assess menopausal symptoms in women with gynecologic and breast cancers.

Methods: Identify face and content validity of the MENQOL with experts, and reliability and construct validity with a group of women diagnosed with cancer who are suffering from treatment-induced menopause.

Results: Eighty-two women with treatment-induced menopause completed the MENQOL, EORTC-C30, and the SVQ.

Toward clinical care guidelines for supporting rehabilitative vaginal dilator use with women recovering from cervical cancer.

Purpose: Building upon the findings of a recent qualitative investigation of women's experiences with rehabilitative vaginal dilator use, the primary goal of this article is to outline a set of preliminary clinical care recommendations that health care professionals may draw upon in addressing women's unique experiences with vaginal dilator use including their multifaceted struggles with the procedure, possibly enhancing adherence to this practice.

Methods: Ten women participated in in-depth interviews regarding their experiences with using the dilator as prescribed by their health care providers. Following the analysis of these interviews, members of the interdisciplinary research team met to review and discuss the development of clinical care recommendations stemming from these findings.

From "sex toy" to intrusive imposition: a qualitative examination of women's experiences with vaginal dilator use following treatment for gynecological cancer.

Introduction: Regular use of vaginal dilators has been recommended as a prophylactic measure following radiation treatment for gynecological cancers in order to minimize vaginal stenosis and promote optimal healing of the vagina. Despite the well-established reluctance of women to adopt this practice, little is known about the difficulties and concerns associated with vaginal dilator use.

Aim: To investigate women's experiences with the vaginal dilator and to understand the psychosocial factors that influence women's adoption of rehabilitative dilator use.

The Informational Needs of Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Radical Prostatectomy Regarding Adjuvant or Salvage Radiotherapy: Determinants of Community Health Pilot Project.

Background: Prostate cancer patients face important treatment decisions. The role of adjuvant and salvage radiotherapy (RT) is now less controversial in terms of the timing of the treatment after radical prostatectomy, because few randomized trials demonstrated the benefit of early RT in terms of biochemical control and improved survival.

Purpose: To evaluate the informational needs of prostate patients referred to Odette Cancer Centre for post-prostatectomy adjuvant or salvage RT.

Improving care for women after gynecological cancer: the development of a sexuality clinic.

The impact of a gynecological cancer diagnosis and the subsequent treatment on women is profound, both physically and psychologically, in particular with respect to sexual function and sexuality. We describe our experience creating a specialized clinic to address concerns about sexual health and rehabilitation. We used a case study approach to describe the clinic's inception and first 2 years of operation.