Sexual health in long-term breast cancer survivors: a comparison with female population controls from the HUNT study

Purpose Sexual health is an important aspect of quality of life. Knowledge concerning sexual health in long-term breast cancer survivors (BCSs) is limited. This study compared sexual health in BCSs 8 years after diagnosis with similarly aged controls and examined the impact of menopausal status at diagnosis and systemic breast cancer treatments on sexual health. Methods Women aged 20–65 years when diagnosed with stage I–III breast cancer in 2011–2012 were identified by the Cancer Registry of Norway ( n = 2803) and invited to participate in a nationwide survey. Controls were women from the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4). Sexual functioning and sexual enjoyment were measured by the EORTC QLQ-BR23 subscales scored from 0 to 100, and sexual discomfort by the Sexual Activity Questionnaire scored from 0 to 6. Linear regression analyses with adjustments for sociodemographic and health-related variables were performed to compare groups. Differences of ≥ 10% of range score were considered clinically significant. Results The study samples consisted of 1241 BCSs and 17,751 controls. Sexual enjoyment was poorer (B − 13.1, 95%CI − 15.0, − 11.2) and discomfort higher (B 0.9, 95%CI 0.8, 1.0) among BCSs compared to controls, and larger differences were evident between premenopausal BCSs and controls (B − 17.3, 95%CI − 19.6, − 14.9 and B 1.2, 95%CI 1.0, 1.3, respectively). BCSs treated with both endocrine- and chemotherapy had lower sexual functioning (B − 11.9, 95%CI − 13.8, − 10.1), poorer sexual enjoyment (B − 18.1, 95%CI − 20.7, − 15.5), and more sexual discomfort (B 1.4, 95% 1.3, 1.6) than controls. Conclusion Sexual health impairments are more common in BCSs 8 years after diagnosis compared to similar aged population controls. During follow-up, attention to such impairments, especially among women diagnosed at premenopausal age and treated with heavy systemic treatment, is warranted.