Trends in Sexual Function After Breast Cancer Surgery

Purpose Sexual dysfunction is assumed to be common, but understudied, in breast cancer patients. Herein, we use the validated female sexual functioning index (FSFI) to evaluate changes in female sexual function after breast cancer surgery. Methods The FSFI assesses sexual function in six domains (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, pain) on a 36-point scale, with scores > 26.6 indicating better sexual function. We identified 226 women with unilateral breast cancer undergoing surgery at our institution from June 2010–January 2015. All completed the FSFI preoperatively and at a median of 13 months postoperatively. We quantified declines in FSFI scores and considered p- values