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Most Breast Cancer Survivors Have Sexual Side Effects; Most Doctors Don’t Discuss Them

Breast cancer survivors often experience sexual health symptoms and distress, yet they rarely receive advice on how to address these side effects, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology Practice. In a survey of 1,775 breast cancer survivors, 89.5% of respondents reported a moderate to great deal of change in their sexual health, 84.8% said they experienced a moderate to great deal of distress because of their sexual health, and 72.3% reported the sexual side effects impacted their relationship, Healio reported. The most common issues were decreased interest in sex, vaginal dryness, reduced arousal, body image concerns and pain during sex. Despite how widespread the concerns were, 73% reported they had never discussed the topic with their health care team. Of survivors who did have a discussion, 71% said they had to bring it up to their doctor. “I think sex has always been a really taboo topic, but it doesn’t have to be,” Laila S. Agrawal, the study’s lead author and a medical oncologist at Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, told Healio. “We talk to patients about the most intimate aspects of their life through cancer care, and there’s nothing different about sexuality.” Agrawal said survivors have many options for improving sexual health after breast cancer treatment, such as using lubricants or moisturizers, starting pelvic floor physical therapy, and taking medications to increase libido.

Cardiac Biomarkers May Predict Cancer Risk

Certain proteins in the blood can signal an increased risk for heart attack and other heart problems, but new research suggests they may also indicate elevated cancer risk. In a study published in JACC: Advances, researchers followed health outcomes for 6,244 people with no evidence of cancer or cardiovascular disease. At the start of the study, researchers measured participants’ levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), two proteins that can indicate heart problems when found at high levels in the blood. During a median follow-up period of 17.8 years, 820 people developed cancer, Healio reported. People with the highest levels of NT-proBNP had a 66% higher risk for colorectal cancer and a 31% higher risk for lung cancer than those with the lowest levels. Additionally, people with the highest levels of hs-cTnT had a 39% higher risk for colorectal cancer than those with the lowest levels. The proteins were not associated with increased risk for breast or prostate cancer. “Our study suggests that even mildly elevated cardiac biomarkers—often seen in people without symptoms—may signal a higher risk of cancer, not just heart disease,” Xinjiang Cai, the study’s lead author and a cardiologist at UCLA Health in Los Angeles, told Healio. “This finding highlights a potential link between hidden heart damage and cancer development.”

Causes of Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers Remain a Mystery

While lung cancer diagnoses and deaths continue to drop as fewer people smoke, the disease burden is increasingly shifting to nonsmokers. Today, up to 25% of lung cancer cases occur in people who have not smoked, the New York Times reported. Among some groups of Asian American women and people younger than 50, nonsmokers now account for more cases of lung cancer than smokers. Researchers continue to be baffled by this trend. One study found that lung cancers in people who live in countries with high levels of air pollution were more likely to have certain DNA mutations. Air pollution may directly damage DNA or cause cells to divide rapidly, which both increase cancer risk. Other possible causes include cooking fumes, exposure to asbestos and radon, lung infections, and secondhand smoke. Scarlett Lin Gomez, an epidemiologist at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in San Francisco, is leading a study investigating the causes of lung cancer among nonsmoking Asian American women. “Ultimately, we want to be able to come up with actionable risk factors, just like we do for breast cancer and colorectal cancer,” Gomez told the Times. Since the exact cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers remains unknown, the disease is often caught by chance or when it has reached an advanced stage. Current U.S. guidelines limit lung cancer screening to older people with a smoking history, but researchers are exploring whether testing younger people with other risk factors could help catch the disease when it is more manageable.