Communicating About Sexual Concerns and Dysfunction Effectively (CASCADE) Program

Study Summary

Patients with cancer suffer many devastating side effects; one that is understudied but vital to quality of life is the effect of cancer and its treatments on patients' sexual functioning and satisfaction. The long-term goal of this work is to improve the care of patients with cancer who are experiencing difficulties with sexual function and satisfaction. As a necessary first step, providers must be skilled in eliciting patients' concerns about sexual health and addressing them appropriately. However, prior studies have found that (1) oncology providers are reluctant to discuss sexual issues with their patients, (2) patients report that needed conversations about their sexual concerns do not occur, and (3) patients want to discuss sexual health with their provider. Thus, the goal of the present study is to develop and test a brief intervention to improve oncology provider's skills in addressing patients' concerns regarding sexual function-the Communicating about Sexual Concerns and Dysfunction Effectively (CASCADE) Program. To aid in development of the intervention, focus groups will be held and target 9 distinct populations of cancer survivors: 1) Breast; 2) Gynecologic; 3) Prostate; 4) males with gastrointestinal malignancies; 5) females with gastrointestinal malignancies; 6) males with brain tumors; 7) females with brain tumors; 8) LGBTQ individuals who identify as male; 9) LGBTQ individuals who identify as female. Maximum accrual for this phase will be 90 patients for 9 focus groups, or a maximum of 10 patients per group. Groups will last approximately 75 minutes and be audio recorded. Participants will also complete self-report measures which as about their sexual functioning, emotional wellbeing, physical functioning and utilization of services offered through the Duke Cancer Institute. The intervention will then be pilot tested with up to 10 providers to assess feasibility and acceptability of the protocol. Specifically, the coaching intervention will inclu

Primary Outcome

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sexual Function and Satisfaction scale asks participants to provide information about their sexual functioning and satisfaction over the last 30 days. Separate versions of the measure will be used for males and females to address gender-specific differences in sexual functioning (e.g., pain and discomfort in the clitoris or labia vs. ability to maintain an erection). The male version of the questionnaire consists of 10 items w

Conditions Studied

Interventions

• BEHAVIORAL Communicating About Sexual Concerns and Dysfunction Effectively

Study Locations (1)