Background Adding hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to extensive cytoreductive surgery (CRS) for advanced ovarian cancer (OC) raises concerns about sexual morbidity, yet, sexual wellbeing is largely overlooked in CRS/HIPEC trials and practice. We evaluated the sexual wellbeing of OC survivors after CRS/HIPEC. Methods This single center cross-sectional study surveyed FIGO stage III-IV OC patients who underwent primary CRS/HIPEC ≥ 3 months prior using an anonymous survey and the EORTC QLQ-SHQ22 questionnaire. Sexual satisfaction and pain scales were linearly transformed (0–100), with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction and less pain. Qualitative themes were identified from a single open-ended survey question. Results Overall, 33/68 (48.5%) patients completed questionnaires. Most were aged 61–80 years (66.7%), heterosexual (97.0%), had CRS/HIPEC > 1 year prior (81.8%), and reported an active sex life as “not at all” / “a little” important (72.7%). Mean sexual satisfaction score was 31 ± 26. A negative change in their sexual wellbeing was reported by 13/14 (92.8%), which was associated with lower sexual satisfaction (p = 0.024). Greater sexual satisfaction was associated with regular exercise (p = 0.025), absence of comorbidities (p = 0.041), and sexual health support from providers (p = 0.019). All patients reported sexual morbidity; vaginal dryness/hot flashes (14/33, 42.4%) were most common. Only 33% (11/33) of patients received sexual wellbeing-related healthcare support, of whom 72.7% found it useful. Of 3 identified themes, “Other Priorities” was the most common. Conclusions Changes in sexual wellbeing after CRS/HIPEC were common, but healthcare support was limited. Those receiving support reported higher sexual satisfaction. Sexual wellbeing was reframed within broader survivorship priorities.
Falla-Zúñiga et al. (2026) studied this question.