Management of side effects of targeted therapies in renal cancer: sexual disorders

Since sexual disorders were not specifically studied in the principal series, epidemiological data is scarce. Nevertheless, in practice, when sexuality is dealt with during the monitoring of patients undergoing targeted therapies, more than half of the patients questioned say that they attach importance to their quality of sex life, despite the severity of their metastatic renal cancer. At the start of treatment, it is therefore important to inform patients of the possible occurrence of problems and to encourage them to report them. During treatment, screening for sexual disorders by questioning is desirable: desire, lubrication, dyspareunia, erectile dysfunction. In the event of the onset of a sexual disorder during treatment, it is not usually necessary to stop or modify the treatment. Therapeutic measures depend on the discomfort felt and are under the control of the specialist: erectile dysfunction, male libido disorders, vaginal dryness and vulvovaginitis. A consultation with an oncology psychologist and/or sex therapist is useful, if possible with the partner, based on the impact of the sexual problems. triangle