From the guest editor. Out in the open: addressing sexual health after cancer.

摘要

Sexuality is an organic, life-affirming component of human experience. It is also one of the first elements of daily living disrupted by a cancer diagnosis; a disruption the majority of cancer patients feel unprepared for.1 Recent advances in cancer care now mean that the majority of newly diagnosed cancer survivors will "live beyond cancer." Survival rates have been steadily increasing since 1990, and the number of cancer survivors is expected to double in the coming decade. However, it is imperative to acknowledge that the range of life-saving cancer treatments at our disposal (eg, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormonal therapies) often result in severe and devastating effects on patients' experiences of sexuality and intimacy. Although there has been increasing attention on quality of life both during and after cancer, there is, for many patients, a deafening silence when it comes to the topic of sexuality.