Neurosurgeons' opinions on discussing sexual health among brain tumor patients: Room for improvement?

Background: As sexual health is an important aspect of general quality of life, discussing and treating sexual health issues should also be part of the oncological care given to patients. It is unknown to what extent neurosurgeons discuss sexual health issues with patients suffering from brain tumors.

Methods: A 25-question survey was sent to members of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons by email.

Results: Of all neurosurgeons who replied, 59.1% never discussed sexual health with patients suffering from brain tumors. There was a trend of less discussing sexual health with older patients. Furthermore, discussing sexual health did not depend on the stage or type of brain tumor patients were suffering from. A majority of 57.7% of the neurosurgeons stated that patients themselves are responsible for discussing health and 41.6% think that neurosurgeons are responsible. The biggest barriers for avoiding discussing sexual health were that 'patients do not express sexual problems spontaneously', 'insufficient training/knowledge of the neurosurgeon' and 'insufficient time'. Furthermore, 59.1% stated they had insufficient/no knowledge about sexual health and 70% found it (slightly/very) important to screen for sexual health after meningioma surgery. About 63.1% wanted to extend their knowledge on sexual health.

Conclusion: Sexual health is an underexposed area in the neurosurgical care for patients suffering from brain tumors. There is a need for more awareness on recognizing and treating of sexual dysfunction after neurosurgery.