Psycho-Oncology - Intimacy and Relationships Among Partnered Danes With and Without a History of Cancer: Findings From the Project SEXUS Cohort Study

Sep 23, 2026

The study examines how intimacy and relationship dynamics relate to sexual health among partnered individuals, comparing 3,177 cancer survivors with 44,541 participants without a cancer history in the Project SEXUS cohort. Using prevalence estimates and demographically weighted, confounder-adjusted logistic regression models, it evaluates the perceived importance of intimacy, frequent reasons for having sex, and relationship characteristics. Findings show broadly comparable patterns between groups across sexes and within five years since diagnosis, suggesting cancer affects sexual activity and function more than specific relational dimensions, supporting holistic survivorship care.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Aim

Methods

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Background

Sexual health framework and rationale

Relational resources and prior evidence

Psycho‐Oncology Intimacy and Relationships Among Partnered Danes With and Without a History of Cancer: Findings From the Project SEXUS Cohort Study Cecilie H. Madsen1,2,3 | Christian Graugaard2 | Susanne O. Dalton4,5,6 | Mikael Andersson7 | Pernille E. Bidstrup1 | Morten Frisch2,3 1Psychological Aspects of Cancer, Cancer Survivorship, Danish Cancer Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark | 2Center for Sexology Research, Department of Clinical Medicine, The Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark | 3Project SEXUS Group, Section for Sexually Transmitted and Bloodborne Infections, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark | 4Cancer Survivorship, Danish Cancer Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark | 5Department of Clinical Oncology & Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Næstved, Denmark | 6Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark | 7Department of Data Science and AI in Health, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark Correspondence: Cecilie H. Madsen ([cema@cancer.dk](cema@cancer.dk)) Received: 17 February 2026 | Revised: 13 June 2026 | Accepted: 20 July 2026 Keywords: cancer | cancer survivors | interpersonal relations | neoplasm | oncology | population surveillance | sexology | sexual health | sexual partners | spouses ABSTRACT Background: Intimacy and relationship dynamics are central to health and well‐being and may buffer sexual difficulties in cancer survivors. Still, population‐based evidence comparing intimacy, reasons for having sex, and relational aspects between cancer survivors and individuals without a history of cancer remains limited and inconsistent. Aim: To assess the perceived importance of various types of intimacy, frequent reasons for having sex, and relationship characteristics among partnered individuals with and without a history of cancer. Methods: We analyzed data from 47,718 partnered individuals from the nationally representative Project SEXUS cohort study, including 3177 cancer survivors and 44,541 individuals without a cancer history. Prevalence estimates were calculated for all measures, and logistic regression models were used to obtain demographically weighted, confounder‐adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for associations of cancer status with intimacy, sexuality, and relationship indicators, stratified by sex and time since diagnosis. Results: Cancer survivors reported importance of intimacy, frequent reasons for having sex, and relationship characteristics largely comparable to those reported by individuals without a history of cancer. Similar patterns were seen across sexes, both overall and within five years of diagnosis. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that, despite the well‐established impact of cancer on sexual activity and functioning, not all aspects of sexual health are equally affected. In particular, the perceived importance of intimacy, reasons for engaging in sex, and relational characteristics appear largely unaffected by cancer. Together, these results underscore the importance of addressing sexual health holistically in survivorship care, encompassing resources embedded in intimacy and relationship dynamics. | The last two authors shared last authorship. | | --- | | This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
© 2026 The Author(s) . Psycho‐Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. | Psycho‐Oncology, 2026; 35:e70558 1 of 12 [https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.70558](https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.70558) Summary • For partnered cancer survivors, perceived importance of intimacy, reasons for having sex, and relationship characteristics were largely similar to those of

FAQs

What question does the study address about intimacy and relationships?

It assesses the perceived importance of intimacy, frequent reasons for having sex, and relationship characteristics among partnered individuals with and without a history of cancer.

How were participants analyzed in Project SEXUS?

Data from 47,718 partnered individuals were analyzed, including 3,177 cancer survivors and 44,541 individuals without a cancer history, using prevalence estimates and demographically weighted, confounder-adjusted logistic regression.

Do cancer survivors differ from those without cancer in relational or intimacy-related aspects?

The results indicate that many aspects of perceived intimacy, reasons for engaging in sex, and relationship characteristics are largely comparable between groups, with similar patterns across sexes and within five years of diagnosis.

Sep 23, 2026

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