The sexual consequences of cancer surgery

Sexual problems can be present before being diagnosed with cancer but can also develop or aggravate after diagnosis (see Chap. 9), during treatment (see Chaps. 10, 11, 12 and 13), or after treatment. Sexual problems can develop even if the reproductive organs are not involved in treatment. For most cancer types or stages, surgery is an important part of the multidisciplinary treatment. In order to increase the probability that a radical resection can be performed, and sometimes even allow more limited surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy can precede surgery. After surgery, some patients require additional chemotherapy in order to reduce the risk of developing a local occurrence or metastatic disease. This chapter provides a general overview of the sexual consequences of cancer surgery across time. Some examples are shown in Table 12.1, though a more detailed description of cancer-type-specific consequences are presented in Chaps. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23.