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This quantitative cross-sectional study assessed sexual function outcomes in 144 prostate and 160 cervical cancer patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy at a major treatment center in sub-Saharan Africa. Sexual function was measured with the Female Sexual Function Index and the International Index of Erectile Function. Results showed high multi-domain dysfunction, with cervical cancer patients reporting diminished desire, impaired arousal, lubrication difficulties, and poor orgasmic function, and prostate cancer patients exhibiting severe erectile dysfunction and dissatisfaction, reducing relationship satisfaction and sexual activity.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/sexual-function-outcomes-in-prostate-and-cervical-cancer-patients-treated-with-radiotherapy-in-sub-saharan-africa-a-cross-sectional-study/368479/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/sexual-function-outcomes-in-prostate-and-cervical-cancer-patients-treated-with-radiotherapy-in-sub-saharan-africa-a-cross-sectional-study/368479.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Maya Linwood","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-24","2026-09-23",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What adverse sexual effects are associated with radiotherapy in pelvic cancer patients?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Radiotherapy is linked to adverse effects such as vaginal stenosis, decreased lubrication, erectile dysfunction, and reduced libido, which can negatively affect quality of life.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How was sexual function measured in this study?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Female sexual function was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index, and male erectile function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What did the study find about sexual dysfunction prevalence among cervical and prostate cancer patients?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Both groups showed high prevalence of sexual dysfunction across multiple domains. Cervical cancer patients experienced reduced desire, poor arousal, lubrication difficulties, and impaired orgasmic function, while prostate cancer patients showed severe erectile dysfunction and low sexual desire.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},368479,1790463235,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},962084928432,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","OPEN ACCESS  \nCitation: Daniels J, Kyei KA, Frimpong-Boateng PD, Nyantakyi AY (2025) Sexual function outcomes in prostate and cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy in subSaharan Africa: A cross-sectional study. PLoSOne 20(5): e0324662. [https://doi.org/10.1371/](https://doi.org/10.1371/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.1371/)[journal.pone.0324662](journal.pone.0324662)  \nEditor: Shadab Shahali, Tarbiat Modares University, IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF Received: December 22, 2024  \nAccepted: April 29, 2025  \nPublished: May 20, 2025  \nCopyright: © 2025 Daniels et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.  \nData availability statement: All relevant data are within the manuscript.  \nFunding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.  \nRESEARCH ARTICLE  \nSexual function outcomes in prostate and cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional study  \nJoseph Daniels1☯, Kofi Adesi Kyei1,2☯*, Prince Dela Frimpong-Boateng2☯, Andrew Yaw Nyantakyi1☯  \n1 National Centre for Radiotherapy, Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana, 2 Department of Radiography, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana  \n☯ These authors contributed equally to this work.  \n* [kakyei@ug.edu.gh](kakyei@ug.edu.gh)  \nAbstract  \nRadiotherapy is indispensable for the successful treatment of many pelvic malignancies, but it is often associated with significant adverse effects on sexual function, including vaginal stenosis, decreased lubrication, erectile dysfunction, and loss of libido. Sexuality and sexual function are important aspects of quality of life for cancer survivors, yet sexual dysfunction remains an underreported complication among patients, particularly those treated for prostate and cervical cancers in limitedresource settings. This quantitative cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate sexual function outcomes among 144 prostate and 160 cervical cancer patients treated with pelvic radiotherapy at a major cancer treatment centre in sub-Saharan Africa. Data were collected using questionnaires based on the Female Sexual Function Index and the International Index of Erectile Function. Data were coded, cleaned, and analyzed using STATA statistical software package (version 17) . The mean age of the patients with cervical cancer was 53.5 years (SD 9.6) ranging from 37 to 69 years whereas the mean age of patients with prostate cancer was 67.1 years (SD 7.7) ranging from 56 to 79 years. Among female participants, 79.9%, had moderate to severe sexual dissatisfaction, 94.4% had poor or no satisfactory orgasm whereas 97.2% had difficulty with lubrication. Only 5 .6%, 5.6%, 2.8%, and 20. 1% of the female participants achieved sexual desire, orgasm, lubrication, and overall satisfaction respectively. In all, 94.4% of the female participants had a total FSFI score less than 26 whereas 5.6% had a score greater than 26. Most patients did not indulge in sexual activity. There was a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction across multiple domains, with cervical cancer patients experiencing diminished desire, poor arousal, lubrication difficulties, and impaired orgasmic function, leading to low relationship satisfaction and avoidance of sexual activity. Similarly, prostate cancer patients demonstrated severe erectile dysfunction, low sexual desire, and dissatisfaction with intercourse and overall sexual experience.  \nPLOS One | [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324662](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324662) May 20, 2025 1 / 14  \nCompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.  \nIntroduction  \nCancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life [ 1] . Prostate cancer, the most com","cbCaiil8bK54Ag60","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiil8bK54Ag60","pdf",668106,14,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction","[{\"question\":\"What adverse sexual effects are associated with radiotherapy in pelvic cancer patients?\",\"answer\":\"Radiotherapy is linked to adverse effects such as vaginal stenosis, decreased lubrication, erectile dysfunction, and reduced libido, which can negatively affect quality of life.\"},{\"question\":\"How was sexual function measured in this study?\",\"answer\":\"Female sexual function was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index, and male erectile function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the study find about sexual dysfunction prevalence among cervical and prostate cancer patients?\",\"answer\":\"Both groups showed high prevalence of sexual dysfunction across multiple domains. Cervical cancer patients experienced reduced desire, poor arousal, lubrication difficulties, and impaired orgasmic function, while prostate cancer patients showed severe erectile dysfunction and low sexual desire.\"}]","Sexual function outcomes in prostate and cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy in sub-Saharan Africa - A cross-sectional study | PDF",1790177178,35]