Prostate cancer poses a significant challenge to global health, with its treatment often leading to post-treatment complications, notably sexual dysfunction. Despite advancements in oncology, addressing the sexual side effects of prostate cancer treatment remains an unmet need in patient care. Recognizing this gap, Movember funded the development of “Guidelines for Sexual Health Care for the Prostate Cancer Patient,” aimed at standardizing care and improving patient sexual health outcomes.
However, creating guidelines is only the first step; translating them into clinical practice is crucial for impacting patient care positively. As research indicates there is often a significant delay in guideline implementation, there is a need for targeted initiatives to address barriers to clinician adoption of guidelines. This is where the collaboration between the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) and Movember comes into play.
During a convening in London, stakeholders identified Recommendation #1 from the guidelines as a foundational standard for initiating clinician-patient discussions on sexual side effects after prostate cancer treatment. Recommendation #1 states:
“A clinician-initiated discussion should be conducted with the patient and the partner (if partnered and culturally appropriate), to educate them about realistic expectations of the impact of prostate cancer therapy on the patient’s sexual function, the partner’s sexual experience, and the couples’ sexual relationship. The clinician should promote openness and inclusivity, consider cultural context, and tailor counseling to the specific needs of patients who are heterosexual, gay, bisexual, or identify as men who have sex with men, and of transgender women and gender non-conforming patients.”
ISSM and Movember aim to promote this recommendation as a critical step in improving patient and partner outcomes. ISSM’s mission, focused on educating and improving sexual health care globally, aligns with Movember’s goals of supporting prostate cancer survivors and their families.
To achieve widespread implementation of these guidelines, the two organizations banded together to deliver a multi-faceted dissemination project including Q&A videos, educational webinars, a clinician toolkit, and sessions and in-person workshops at relevant conferences worldwide. This initiative will target key countries to integrate the guidelines into clinical care, ensuring equitable access to sexual health support for all prostate cancer patients and their partners.
Through this collaboration, ISSM and Movember strive to enhance the quality of life for prostate cancer survivors, emphasizing the importance of addressing sexual health as an integral component of survivorship care.
