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Who is managing menopausal symptoms, sexual problems, mood and sleep disturbance after breast cancer and is it working? Findings from a large community-based survey of breast cancer survivors

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Abstract

Purpose

To determine the nature and severity of vasomotor symptoms, sexual problems, mood and sleep disturbance in community-dwelling breast cancer patients, whether and where they received treatment for these symptoms and their satisfaction with treatment received.

Methods

Online cross-sectional survey distributed through Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA).

Results

524/2286 women responded to the invitation to participate. Of these, 74% (385/523) reported symptoms of interest and were included in the analysis. Mean age was 55.2 years and mean time since breast cancer diagnosis was 5.7 years. Most (66%) had received chemotherapy and were taking endocrine therapy (64%). The most common symptoms were hot flushes/night sweats and sleep disturbance (both 89%), vaginal dryness (75%), mood swings (62%) and sexual problems (60%). Symptoms were mild (21–33%) or moderate (21–38%) in around one third and severe in up to one quarter (8–26%). Symptoms affected the ability to “get on with their life” for 36%, predicted by severity of hot flushes (OR 1.4), sleep disturbance (OR 1.3), mood disturbance (OR 1.3), and sexual problems (OR 1.3). Only 32% were offered treatment, mostly delivered by GPs (33%) or oncologists (26%). Only 49% found this “somewhat effective” and 34% found it ineffective. The majority (60%) wanted more support to manage their symptoms.

Conclusion

Menopausal symptoms, sexual problems, mood and sleep difficulties are common after breast cancer and often not effectively managed. There is an unmet need for coordinated care providing effective treatments.

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Acknowledgements

Michelle Peate was supported by a grant from the National Breast Cancer Foundation (ECF-15-005) and is currently supported by a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne Fellowship. Martha Hickey is supported by a Practitioner Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1058945). We acknowledge the assistance of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) and the BCNA Review & Survey Group which was invaluable in undertaking this research.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Level 7, Royal Women’s Hospital, 20 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia

    Michelle Peate & Martha Hickey

  2. Division of Surgery, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia School of Surgery, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    Christobel Saunders

  3. Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Paul Cohen

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  1. Michelle Peate
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Correspondence to Michelle Peate.

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Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Royal Women’s Hospital Ethics Committee (Project AQA 20/43). The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Peate, M., Saunders, C., Cohen, P. et al. Who is managing menopausal symptoms, sexual problems, mood and sleep disturbance after breast cancer and is it working? Findings from a large community-based survey of breast cancer survivors. Breast Cancer Res Treat 187, 427–435 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-021-06117-7

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