ABSTRACT
According to the American Cancer Society (1), approximately 63% of people diagnosed with cancer today will be alive for five or more years past the time of their initial diagnosis, depending on the type and stage of cancer. Of those who survive, between 10% and 90% report sexual problems, depending on the patient’s gender, the diagnosis, and the choice of treatment pursued (2-4). Interestingly, Alfonso et al. (5) reported that sexual dysfunction was more common in males (82%) than in females (61%) in both experimental and control groups of cancer patients tested. Traditionally, men are more subject to the pressures of unrealistic societal expectations regarding their sexuality, from the maintenance of an outwardly “tough” and emotionally invulnerable exterior to the concerns about maximizing penis size and the ability to achieve and maintain erections. Nowhere greater than in the face of illness, however, is a man’s sexuality tested as truly, and when the limits of physical capability fall short of perceived expectations, a man’s self-worth may be severely affected. Thus, the maintenance of sexual function is of great importance to many male cancer patients. One study revealed that in order to preserve erectile function after prostate cancer, 68% of men claimed they would be willing to trade away a 10% greater chance of survival for a treatment that would offer better future sexual function (6).
