‘Prostate Cancer? Let’s Talk About Sex’ roundtable: Delving into the detail at EAU25

As one of the key objectives of the Patient Office is to give exposure to patient perspectives in healthcare that are often overlooked, at EAU25 the ‘Prostate Cancer? Let’s Talk About Sex’ roundtable roundtable was hosted, where insights from the partners of patients with prostate cancer were shared. It was the perfect example of how the equilibrium between doctors and patients is delicate and multi-faceted.

Intimacy

Leading a fulfilling sex life whilst having prostate cancer is often one of the key concerns that patients with prostate cancer have. Dr Caroline Moore (UK) commented that due to the sensitive nature of this concern, patients sometimes don’t feel truly comfortable discussing sexual issues with their doctor, particularly if the topic hasn’t been initiated by the doctor themselves. 

Doctors battling against time constraints in their consultations often prioritise discussing what they believe are more serious issues relating to the condition. This limitation can cause consultations to feel rushed, which can lead to a lack of trust from the patient. Today, only 25% of prostate cancer patients receive information around intimacy from their doctor. (1) This statistic was highlighted during the roundtable, with Patient Advocate Erik Briers (BE) calling for the need to have open, informed and compassionate conversations around sex between the doctor and their patient.

In order to demonstrate how little is known publicly about the sexuality of men with prostate cancer, Briers ventured the question to the audience: ‘Can men orgasm without having an erection?’ The answer was a surprising ‘yes’, proving the point that there can still be plenty of ways to have a fulfilling sex life. Briers commented that ultimately it should be the healthcare professional’s responsibility to share such information with their patients.

The Partner’s Perspective

Patient Advocate Jacqueline Daly (IE) opened her roundtable presentation by stating that having a fulfilling sex life isn’t just a luxury, but a quality-of-life issue for the patient. Daly brought to light the fact that partners of patients with prostate cancer are often left out of the conversation, despite being directly affected by their partner’s sexual conditions. She discussed how this exclusion can lead to miscommunication and frustration between partners if they haven’t both been privy to the same information from the doctor.

Conclusion

The roundtable concluded with some key proposals to help reduce the stigma around the conversation, such as clinic time management, including both partners in the conversation, and unpacking the style of communication that both the doctor and patient use. Moore emphasised that the hallmarks of communication from both the patient and doctor are ultimately: empathy, transparency, and honesty. 

For more information about living with PCa, visit the new Patient Information website.

(1) Charif, Ali, et al. "Patient Discussion About Sexual Health with Health Care Providers After Cancer—A National Survey." The Journal of Sexual Medicine, vol. 13, no. 9, 2016, pp. 1377–1385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.07.004