Education Programs Improve The Quality Of Life For Breast Cancer Patients

Women at high risk for breast or ovarian cancer may undergo prevention surgery in the hopes of attacking a potential problem before it starts. Yet recent findings published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine reveal that these surgeries can be difficult for the mental and sexual health of patients undergoing such procedures.

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute tested an education program and found that it greatly reduced side-effects associated with the surgery for the health issue. 

"For women who inherit genetic mutations that put them at increased risk for ovarian cancer, oophorectomy - surgical removal of the ovaries - can sharply lower that risk. But the procedure can have potentially difficult side effects," said lead study author Sharon Bober, PhD, Founder and Director, Sexual Health Program at Dana-Farber, in a news release. 

For the study, researchers recruited 37 patients who underwent ovary-removal surgery. All were considered at high-risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer as they carried the genetic mutations BRCA1 or BRCA2.

For a year, all participants were involved in an educational program that lasted half a day-helping them deal with the side-effects of the procedures and learning certain managing techniques.

"We found that in addition to acquiring new skills and knowledge, participants found it helpful to be in a setting with others who have gone through a similar experience," Bober concluded. "We hope to study whether this approach can be effective on a larger scale, perhaps by engaging patients in a Web-based program."