Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-q6k6v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-08T18:44:26.508Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Thyroid cancer has a small impact on patient–partner relationships and their frequency of sexual activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2017

Natalie Büel-Drabe ,
Hans Steinert ,
Hanspeter Moergeli ,
Steffi Weidt ,
Annina Seiler  and
Josef Jenewein
Natalie Büel-Drabe*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Hans Steinert
Affiliation:
Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Medical Radiology, University Hospital of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Hanspeter Moergeli
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Steffi Weidt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Annina Seiler
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Josef Jenewein
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Natalie Büel-Drabe, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Rämistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland. E-mail: natalie.bueel@usz.ch.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

This cross-sectional survey examined changes in perceived relationships and sexual activity in a sample of thyroid cancer patients and their partners, taking into account sociodemographic and disease-related variables, as well as such outcome measures as anxiety, depression, fatigue, and quality of life (QoL).

Method:

A total of 38 patients with thyroid cancer who were being treated at the department of nuclear medicine in Zürich or Lucerne over the preceding seven years, as well as their partners, completed questionnaires about the quality of their relationships (RQ), about perceptions of changes in their relationships, and about their frequency of sexual activity. They also filled out prevalidated questionnaires related to anxiety, depression, fatigue, and QoL.

Results:

Some 17 patients (44.7%) and 16 partners (42.1 %) reported that the cancer diagnosis had changed their relationships. Of these, 10 (26.3%) patients and 9 (23.7%) partners reported positive changes only, while 7 patients (18.4%) and 7 partners (18.4%) reported mixed or negative changes. A perceived mixed/negative relationship change was associated with increased depression and lower RQ in patients and partners, as well as with increased anxiety in patients. While the frequency of sexual activity only changed in roughly half of patients and partners (16 patients [42.1%] and 20 partners [52.6%]), increased sexual activity was associated with lower physical QoL scores and a higher depression score than in counterparts who reported no change.

Significance of Results:

Compared to other cancer sites, in our sample thyroid cancer had a relatively small impact on patient–partner relationships and levels of intimacy. We found that screening patients and their partners with a simple question—“Did the diagnosis of cancer change your relationship?”—can lead to early detection of couples who are potentially at risk for perceived negative relationship changes and can facilitate timely psychosocial referral for couple's therapy.

Keywords

CancerOncologyDifferentiated thyroid cancerCouplesQuality of life
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , June 2018 , pp. 335 - 346
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Beck, A.T., Ward, C.H., Mendelson, M., et al. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4(6), 561–571. Available from http://www.scalesandmeasures.net/files/files/Beck_AT_1961.pdf.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beck, A.T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., et al. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(6), 893–897.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burns, M., Costello, J., Ryan-Woolley, B., et al. (2007). Assessing the impact of late treatment effects in cervical cancer: An exploratory study of women's sexuality. European Journal of Cancer Care, 16(4), 364–372.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carlsen, K., Dalton, S.O., Frederiksen, K., et al. (2007). Are cancer survivors at an increased risk for divorce? A Danish cohort study. European Journal of Cancer, 43(14), 2093–2099. Epub ahead of print Jul 12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge.Google Scholar
Constant, E.L., de Volder, A.G., Ivanoiu, A., et al. (2001). Cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism in hypothyroidism: A positron emission tomography study. The Journal of Clinical and Endocrinology and Metabolism, 86(8), 3864–3870.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
dal Maso, L., Lise, M., Zambon, P., et al. (2011). Incidence of thyroid cancer in Italy, 1991–2005: Time trends and age-period-cohort effects. Annals of Oncology, 22(4), 957–963. Available from https://academic.oup.com/annonc/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/annonc/mdq467.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davies, M., Hennessy, B. & Mills, G.B. (2006). Point mutations of protein kinases and individualised cancer therapy. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 7(16), 2243–2261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Den Oudsten, B.L., Van Heck, G.L., Van der Steeg, A.F., et al. (2010). Clinical factors are not the best predictors of quality of sexual life and sexual functioning in women with early-stage breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 19(6), 646–656.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeSimone, M., Spriggs, E., Gass, J.S., et al. (2014). Sexual dysfunction in female cancer survivors. American Journal of Clinical Oncology, 37(1), 101–196.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dorval, M., Guay, S., Mondor, M., et al. (2005). Couples who get closer after breast cancer: Frequency and predictors in a prospective investigation. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 23(15), 3588–3596. Available from http://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2005.01.628.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drabe, N., Wittmann, L., Zwahlen, D., et al. (2013). Changes in close relationships between cancer patients and their partners. Psycho-Oncology, 22(6), 1344–1352. Epub ahead of print Jul 27, 2012.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Drabe, N., Steinert, H., Moergeli, H., et al. (2016). Perception of treatment burden, psychological distress, and fatigue in thyroid cancer patients and their partners: Effects of gender, role, and time since diagnosis. Psycho-Oncology, 25(2), 203–209. Epub ahead of print Jul 15, 2015.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graham, J.M., Diebels, K.J. & Barnow, Z.B. (2011). The reliability of relationship satisfaction: A reliability generalization meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 25(2), 39–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greenfield, D.M., Walters, S.J., Coleman, R.E., et al. (2010). Quality of life, self-esteem, fatigue, and sexual function in young men after cancer: A controlled cross-sectional study. Cancer, 116(6), 1592–601. Available from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.24898/full.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hautzinger, M. (1991). Das Beck-Depressioninventar (BDI) in der Klinik [The Beck Depression Inventory in clinical practice] [in German]. Nervenarzt, 62(11), 689–696.Google Scholar
Hendrick, S.S., Dicke, A. & Hendrick, C. (1998). The Relationship Assessment Scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15(1), 137–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmberg, S.K., Scott, L.L., Alexy, W., et al. (2001). Relationship issues of women with breast cancer. Cancer Nursing, 24(1), 53–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horn-Ross, P.L., Lichtensztajn, D.Y., Clarke, C.A., et al. (2014). Continued rapid increase in thyroid cancer incidence in California: Trends by patient, tumor, and neighborhood characteristics. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 23(6), 1067–1909. Epub ahead of print May 19. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4071298/pdf/nihms582881.pdf.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keller, A., McGarvey, E.L. & Clayton, A.H. (2006). Reliability and construct validity of the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire, short-form (CSFQ–14). Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 32(2), 43–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ladenson, P.W., Braverman, L.E., Mazzaferri, E.L., et al. (1997). Comparison of administration of recombinant human thyrotropin with withdrawal of thyroid hormone for radioactive iodine scanning in patients with thyroid carcinoma. The New England Journal of Medicine, 337(13), 888–896. Available from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199709253371304#t=articleTop.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levi, F., Randimbison, L., Te, V.C., et al. (2002). Thyroid cancer in Vaud, Switzerland: An update. Thyroid, 12(2), 163–168.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Manne, S. (1998). Cancer in the marital context: A review of the literature. Cancer Investigation, 16(3), 188–202.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Manne, S. & Badr, H. (2010). Intimacy processes and psychological distress among couples coping with head and neck or lung cancers. Psycho-Oncology, 19(9), 941–954. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2888784/.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Margraf, J. & Ehlers, A. (2007). Das Beck Angst–Inventar (BAI). Manual [in German]. Frankfurt am Main: Harcourt Test Services.Google Scholar
Mendoza, T.R., Wang, X.S., Cleeland, C.S., et al. (1999). The rapid assessment of fatigue severity in cancer patients: Use of the Brief Fatigue Inventory. Cancer, 85(5), 1186–1196.3.0.CO;2-N>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mercadante, S., Vitrano, V. & Catania, V. (2010). Sexual issues in early and late stage cancer: A review. Supportive Care in Cancer, 18(6), 659–665.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milbury, K., Cohen, L., Jenkins, R., et al. (2013). The association between psychosocial and medical factors with long-term sexual dysfunction after treatment for colorectal cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer, 21(3), 793–802. Epub ahead of print Sep 5, 2012. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437688/.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mystakidou, K., Tsilika, E., Parpa, E., et al. (2007). Beck Depression Inventory: Exploring its psychometric properties in a palliative care population of advanced cancer patients. European Journal of Cancer Care, 16(3), 244–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellegriti, G., Frasca, F., Regalbuto, C., et al. (2013). Worldwide increasing incidence of thyroid cancer: Update on epidemiology and risk factors. Journal of Cancer Epidemiology, 2013, 965212. Epub ahead of print May 7. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3664492/.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Preau, M., Bouhnik, A.D., Rey, D., et al. (2011). Two years after cancer diagnosis, which couples become closer? European Journal of Cancer Care, 20(3), 380–388.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Radbruch, L., Sabatowski, R., Elsner, F., et al. (2003). Validation of the German version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 25(5), 449–458.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rolland, J.S. (1994). In sickness and in health: The impact of illness on couples' relationships. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 20(4), 327–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shafqat, A., Einhorn, L.H., Hanna, N., et al. (2005). Screening studies for fatigue and laboratory correlates in cancer patients undergoing treatment. Annals of Oncology, 16(9), 1545–1550. Epub ahead of print May 26. Available from https://academic.oup.com/annonc/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/annonc/mdi267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skevington, S.M., Lotfy, M., O'Connell, K.A., et al. (2004). The World Health Organization's WHOQoL–BREF quality of life assessment: Psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A report from the WHOQoL group. Quality of Life Research, 13(2), 299–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stead, M.L., Fallowfield, L., Selby, P., et al. (2007). Psychosexual function and impact of gynaecological cancer. Best Practice & Research in Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 21(2), 309–320.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stockler, M.R., O'Connell, R., Nowak, A.K., et al. (2007). Effect of sertraline on symptoms and survival in patients with advanced cancer, but without major depression: A placebo-controlled double-blind randomised trial. The Lancet. Oncology, 8(7), 603–612.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor-Brown, J., Kilpatrick, M., Maunsell, E., et al. (2000). Partner abandonment of women with breast cancer: Myth or reality? Cancer Practice, 8(4), 160–164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Traa, M.J., De Vries, J., Roukema, J.A., et al. (2012). Sexual (dys)function and the quality of sexual life in patients with colorectal cancer: A systematic review. Annals of Oncology, 23(1), 19–27. Available from https://academic.oup.com/annonc/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/annonc/mdr133.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ussher, J.M., Perz, J. & Gilbert, E. (2015). Perceived causes and consequences of sexual changes after cancer for women and men: A mixed-method study. BMC Cancer, 15, 268. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4407322/pdf/12885_2015_Article_1243.pdf.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
WHOQoL Group (1998). Development of the World Health Organization WHOQoL–BREF quality of life assessment. Psychological Medicine, 28(3), 551–558.CrossRefGoogle Scholar