S2654
RTT - Patient experience and quality of life
ESTRO 2026
lives.Accessing sexual support: Participants felt healthcare professionals (HCPs) placed too much emphasis on oncological rather than quality of life outcomes. When they received support, they felt it was inadequate and overly-focused on erectogenic interventions, which they often found unacceptable or ineffective. They wanted holistic care from HCPs who were skilled in communication and understood differing cultural needs.Coping: When it came to coping with SD, three distinct groups were identified. The first group were able to accept SD, adjust their sex lives and maintain intimacy with their partner. The second group continued to focus on restoring their previous level of sexual function and were often left frustrated and struggling to maintain intimacy. The third group were less bothered by loss of sexual function and coped by refocusing their lives on other positive aspects. Conclusion: Patients with APCa describe facing significant sexual morbidity, which they often struggle to address. They perceive healthcare support to be inadequate and would value holistic care that addressed psychological issues. Those who accepted loss of erectile function and adapted their sex lives coped best with changes. Holistic interventions which help men come to terms with SD may be beneficial for men being treated for APCa. References: 1. Wittmann D, Mehta A, McCaughan E, et al. (2022) Guidelines for Sexual Health Care for Prostate Cancer Patients: Recommendations of an International Panel. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 19(11), pp. 1655–1669. Keywords: Prostate, sexual dysfunction, advanced disease Development of immersive and interactive virtual reality modules for paediatric radiotherapy to enhance engagement through technological innovation. Alice Wan Ting Kor 1 , Janice Hui Fang Tan 1 , Jacques Frety 2 , Wen Long Nei 1,3 , Eric Pei Ping Pang 1,3 1 Division of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. 2 School of Design & Media, Nanyang polytechnic, Singapore, Singapore. 3 Oncology Academic Clinical Programme, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore Purpose/Objective: Virtual Reality (VR) and gamification have been demonstrated to be effective in reducing anxiety and improving treatment compliance in surgical settings1. Likewise, VR in radiotherapy has the potential to Digital Poster 1515
104518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104518 Keywords: Breast cancer, Tattoo, Patient Perception
Mini-Oral 1245 A qualitative study of patients’ experience of treatment-related sexual dysfunction in advanced prostate cancer William Kinnaird 1,2 , Danielle Fairweather 2 , Valerie Jenkins 3 , Mike Kirby 4 , Patricia Schartau 5,6 , Heather Payne 1 1 Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom. 2 Radiotherapy, University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom. 3 Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Universities of Brighton and Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom. 4 British Society of Sexual Medicine, British Society of Sexual Medicine, London, United Kingdom. 5 Primary Care & Population Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom. 6 Primary Care, University Hospital Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany Purpose/Objective: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common side effect of prostate cancer treatments1. There is limited qualitative research investigating SD in advanced prostate cancer (APCa). This study explored men’s experience of sexual side effects related to treatment for APCa, their experience of accessing support, and their ability to cope with changes. Material/Methods: Semi-structured online interviews were carried out by an experienced researcher with a purposive sample of 15 participants from the UK with advanced prostate cancer. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed with reflexive thematic analysis using NVivo15 software. Results: Participants underwent a range of treatments for APCa (Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) 100%, Androgen Receptor Pathway Inhibitors 73%, Radiotherapy 53%, Chemotherapy 47%, Prostatectomy 33%, Molecular Radiotherapy 7%). Four main themes were identified (Table 1):Side effects: Participants described unique and wide-ranging SD that impacted on their relationships. They felt their experience was exacerbated by multi-modality treatment and permanent ADT. While low libido decreased bother for some, others said it heightened their anxiety.Patient response: Masculine self-perception meant participants often did not seek help for problems and actively avoided addressing things they found too difficult. They relied on their partners for support and tried to refocus on the positive aspects of their
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