- The funding will support research into sexual dysfunction in these patients, a significantly understudied area.
- Researchers will survey patients and providers to identify gaps in pretreatment counseling about sexual health.
- Findings will inform educational materials to improve patient-provider conversations.
PHILADELPHIA (April 8, 2026) — Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have been awarded a $50,000 grant to study sexual dysfunction in female patients undergoing treatment for rectal cancer. With funding from the Colon Cancer Coalition, the study will look at women’s sexual needs and expectations before rectal cancer treatment, how treatment affects their sexual function, and how comfortable providers are talking about these issues.
Female-Focused Research
The study’s focus on women is important, according to Andrea Porpiglia, MD, MSc, FACS, an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Fox Chase and one of the lead investigators on the study.
“Previous studies on sexual dysfunction in rectal cancer patients have combined men and women, yet we need to be having two very different conversations. Sexual function is multifactorial for women. We can’t just offer them a pill and functionality improves. It’s much more complex,” Porpiglia said.
This lack of focus on female rectal cancer patients’ sexual dysfunction is something Porpiglia and her coinvestigator, Kelly Filchner, PhD, RN, OCN, CCRC, have also observed in their work with the Fox Chase Survivorship Program. The program begins after the conclusion of cancer treatment to help address the ongoing effects of cancer, including sexual dysfunction.
“There’s a lot of focus on men and conversations with them about having sexual dysfunction after rectal cancer treatment,” said Filchner. “But not a lot of people are having those conversations with women.”
What the Study Will Investigate
- What counseling, if any, women receive before rectal cancer treatment about how it might affect their sexual function.
- How rectal cancer treatment affects women’s sexual function.
- The level of comfort or discomfort healthcare providers feel in talking about sexual needs and expectations with their female rectal cancer patients.
- Barriers that prevent these providers from having discussions about sexual needs and expectations with their female patients.
- Resources that would help providers better inform and counsel women about potential sexual dysfunction due to rectal cancer treatment.
Patient Interviews Will Inform Research
Filchner, Porpiglia, and their research team will accomplish these aims through two surveys. One will go to female-identifying patients who have received or are receiving total neoadjuvant therapy — where all chemotherapy and radiation treatments happen before surgery — for locally advanced rectal cancer. The other will go to oncologists who regularly treat patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.
The researchers will also interview a subset of patients who respond to the survey in order to gain deeper insights into patients’ experiences. They intend to use their findings to create educational materials for providers that help them talk to female rectal cancer patients about sexual function.
“We want our providers to be comfortable talking about the subject of sexual dysfunction before their patient has the issue so that she can then feel comfortable going to them, talking about it, and asking, ‘What can I do about this?’” said Porpiglia.
“Get Your Rear in Gear” Funding
The study, “Female Sexual Function and Quality of Life After Total Neoadjuvant Treatment for Rectal Cancer: A Pilot Study,” was funded by a Get Your Rear in Gear grant from the Colon Cancer Coalition. The coalition’s goals in issuing these grants are to remove barriers to screening, educate the public about signs and symptoms, reduce patients’ financial burden and fund research to fight colon cancer.