TY - JOUR
T1 - Reproductive Health Experiences of Females Diagnosed with Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer
T2 - A Multi-Method Cross-Sectional Survey
AU - Araujo, Louise
AU - Rebic, Nevena
AU - Dau, Hallie
AU - Brotto, Lori
AU - George, Manju
AU - De Vera, Mary A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by a Project Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, “Examining the epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes in young-onset colorectal cancer” (funding reference number: PJT-159467). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Objective: Given the increasing risk of young-onset colorectal cancer (yCRC) among adults under 50 years, it is important to understand impacts on reproductive health. Our objective was to assess experiences with reproductive health after yCRC diagnosis among females. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among females, 18 years or older, who have been diagnosed yCRC and are able to communicate in English. Data were gathered using an online survey involving both quantitative (e.g., multiple choice) and qualitative (e.g., open-ended text) questions on pregnancy history, influence of yCRC on reproductive decisions, and experiences with reproductive healthcare. Results: Altogether, 101 females with yCRC participated, including 23 who had never been pregnant and 78 who had been pregnant. yCRC influenced family planning goals for one-third of partici-pants. Furthermore, compared to participants who completed treatment, those currently undergoing treatment had higher odds of indicating their yCRC diagnosis influenced family planning goals (adjusted odds ratio 4.93; 95% confidence interval 1.29 to 18.78). Although 53 (52.5%) participants indicated having discussions regarding reproductive health with healthcare provider(s), 44 (43.6%) did not. Content analysis of open-ended survey questions identified themes on the emotional impacts, experiences with reproductive healthcare, reproductive and family planning considerations, and the related issue of sexual health impacts of yCRC. Conclusions: Gaps in care, related to limited reproductive health discussions, influence of yCRC on family planning, and experiencing lasting reproductive health impacts highlight the need for improving reproductive healthcare, particularly for females diagnosed with yCRC.
AB - Objective: Given the increasing risk of young-onset colorectal cancer (yCRC) among adults under 50 years, it is important to understand impacts on reproductive health. Our objective was to assess experiences with reproductive health after yCRC diagnosis among females. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among females, 18 years or older, who have been diagnosed yCRC and are able to communicate in English. Data were gathered using an online survey involving both quantitative (e.g., multiple choice) and qualitative (e.g., open-ended text) questions on pregnancy history, influence of yCRC on reproductive decisions, and experiences with reproductive healthcare. Results: Altogether, 101 females with yCRC participated, including 23 who had never been pregnant and 78 who had been pregnant. yCRC influenced family planning goals for one-third of partici-pants. Furthermore, compared to participants who completed treatment, those currently undergoing treatment had higher odds of indicating their yCRC diagnosis influenced family planning goals (adjusted odds ratio 4.93; 95% confidence interval 1.29 to 18.78). Although 53 (52.5%) participants indicated having discussions regarding reproductive health with healthcare provider(s), 44 (43.6%) did not. Content analysis of open-ended survey questions identified themes on the emotional impacts, experiences with reproductive healthcare, reproductive and family planning considerations, and the related issue of sexual health impacts of yCRC. Conclusions: Gaps in care, related to limited reproductive health discussions, influence of yCRC on family planning, and experiencing lasting reproductive health impacts highlight the need for improving reproductive healthcare, particularly for females diagnosed with yCRC.
KW - Colorectal cancer
KW - Pregnancy
KW - Reproductive health
KW - Sexual health
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U2 - 10.3390/curroncol29020042
DO - 10.3390/curroncol29020042
M3 - Article
C2 - 35200542
AN - SCOPUS:85123081278
SN - 1198-0052
VL - 29
SP - 465
EP - 478
JO - Current Oncology
JF - Current Oncology
IS - 2
ER -