Anne Katz, RN, PhD, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and AASECT-Certified Sexuality Counselor who blogs at ASCO Connection, where you may read the original post. Due to the positive response Dr. Katz’s post has received, Cancer.Net wanted to help make patients aware of this content on the ASCO Connection website. ASCO Connection.org is the professional networking site for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the companion website for ASCO’s official member magazine, ASCO Connection.
I have written about the support that a partner/spouse provides to someone living with cancer—with prostate cancer and for young adults with cancer—and I always include the partner in discussions about treatment choice or sexual difficulties.
But a number of my older patients are single, and their experiences of facing treatment and survivorship alone are profoundly moving. They often want to find someone with whom to share their life—and this is a real challenge.