Radiother Oncol
February 2025
Purpose: To compare the cost-effectiveness of a nurse-led sexual rehabilitation intervention with standard care in women treated with external beam radiotherapy, with or without brachytherapy, for gynaecological cancers.
Methods: Eligible women were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 112) or standard care (n = 117). Primary endpoint was sexual functioning at 12-months post-radiotherapy, assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).
Background/objectives: With growing survival rates for Adolescent and Young Adults (AYAs) diagnosed with gynecological cancer, the focus shifted to Quality of Life (QoL). Fertility-sparing surgery offers a viable alternative to standard, usually fertility-impairing treatments. Treatment choice remains difficult and renders perspectives of AYAs on decision-making and psychological outcomes afterwards.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The multicentre randomised SPARC trial evaluated the efficacy of a nurse-led sexual rehabilitation intervention on sexual functioning, distress, dilator use, and vaginal symptoms after radiotherapy for gynaecological cancers.
Methods: Eligible women were randomised to the rehabilitation intervention or care-as-usual. Four intervention sessions were scheduled over 12 months, with concurrent validated questionnaires and clinical assessments.
Using a novel data-driven network approach, this study aimed to examine the interconnection between the key elements of the Fear-Avoidance Model of female genital pain - sexual arousal, fear-avoidant cognitions, and motivational coping - and its associated factors to predict the intensity and frequency of genital pain across women over time. Network modeling allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the Fear-Avoidance model while capturing the dynamic features of genital pain. We estimated a cross-sectional and a temporal, contemporaneous, and between-persons network model on convenience-based data of 543 female students (mean age = 23.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a common pain condition, negatively impacting the relationships and sexual lives of sufferers. Women's coping behaviour has been associated with psychosexual outcomes, yet coping patterns in clinical PVD samples are unexplored, and it is not known how women's coping relates to their relational context.
Method: Women (N = 128) with PVD answered questionnaires about psychosexual function, pain coping (avoidance and endurance), relational- and pain catastrophizing, sexual goals and perceived partner responses.