Sexual Function after Surgery for Early-Stage Cervical Cancer: Is There a Difference in It According to the Extent of Surgical Radicality?

Abstract

Approximately 15% of all cervical cancers are found in women under the age of 40. Sexual function is a matter of great importance for these women. However, the impact of the surgical radicality for cervical cancer on sexual function has not been established. The aim of this study is to estimate the difference in postoperative sexual function in women with surgically treated early-stage cervical cancer according to the extent of surgical radicality. One hundred and five women with early-stage cervical cancer treated by cervical conization (CC), radical trachelectomy (RT), and radical hysterectomy (RH) between January 2006 and December 2009 were asked to answer a validated questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). FSFI score. Eighty-one completed questionnaires from 39 (48.2%) women in the CC group, 18 (22.2%) in the RT group, and 24 (29.6%) in the RH group were studied. The FSFI total score for the CC group was 30.72 ± 3.39, suggesting no sexual dysfunctioning. The FSFI total score for the RT and RH groups (21.78 ± 4.17 and 22.40 ± 4.09, respectively) demonstrated a globally compromised sexuality, based on a FSFI total score of 26.55 as the clinical cut-off for sexual dysfunction. The FSFI total scores in the RT and RH groups were significantly decreased compared to the CC group (P < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between the RT and RH groups. The RT and RH groups, unlike the CC group, had compromised sexual function after the treatment of early-stage cervical cancer.