Sexual dysfunction prevalent in breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors often experience female sexual dysfunction (FSD), which is significantly associated with disease-related factors and the lack of sexual counselling, reports a study.

The databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CNKI, SinoMed, WanFang, and VIP were searched from 1 January 2014 to 10 October 2025. Studies on the prevalence and risk factors of FSD in breast cancer survivors were identified.

Two investigators conducted independent screening of the literature, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. A meta-analysis was then performed using Stata 17. Thirty-sex studies, involving a total of 9,749 breast cancer survivors, met the eligibility criteria.

The pooled prevalence of FSD was 70 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 64‒76) among breast cancer survivors, while that of sexual distress stood at 57 percent (95 percent CI, 29‒86). Significant differences were noted in FSD prevalence among different educational levels, economic development levels, pathological stages, surgical methods, and first postoperative sexual intercourse time.

The following factors were associated with an increased risk of FSD among survivors: mastectomy, adjuvant therapies, dissatisfaction with body image, and lack of sexual counselling.

“[S]exual health assessment should be incorporated into the routine diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the future,” the investigators said.

“FSD is a common issue, but currently only a few studies have evaluated the problem in breast cancer survivors,” they noted.