Sexual dysfunction is a common side effect among women with lung cancer, a new study finds.

“The SHAWL [Sexual Health Assessment in Women with Lung Cancer] study is about bringing women’s sexuality to the forefront of scientific discussions because it has been significantly understudied,” said researcher Dr. Narjust Florez (Duma), associate director for the Cancer Care Equity Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “When comparing the information before lung cancer diagnosis and after lung cancer diagnosis, the difference is staggering. Lung cancer significantly affects the sexual health of these women.”

For the study, participants were asked about sexual activity before lung cancer and during the 30 days before they completed the survey.

In all, 249 women completed the survey. Within the month, 53% had sexual activity with themselves or someone else; 77% had little to no interest in sex; and 67% rarely or never wanted to have sex. Read more here.

New Drug for Advanced Cancer

Lung disease caused by a new drug for cancers—including metastatic or advanced breast cancer—can be effectively treated using approaches that focus on early detection and prompt management, according to a study published in ESMO Open on August 11, 2022.

Using data from nine clinical trials, this study provides one of the most comprehensive analyses of interstitial lung disease diagnosis and treatment in patients who received an antibody drug conjugate known as T-DXd, from a class of drugs designed as a targeted therapy for treating cancers.

The retrospective review examined 1,150 heavily pre-treated patients with breast, lung, gastric, colorectal or other cancers across nine studies treated with T-DXd, also known as ENHERTU.

“Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a known risk factor in patients treated with antibody drug conjugates for cancer,” said senior author Charles Powell, MD, MBA, Janice and Coleman Rabin Professor of Medicine and Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Using learnings from the early clinical trials experience, physician education and patient management protocols were revised and disseminated by the study sponsors. More recent trial data in earlier lines of therapy has demonstrated lower rates of ILD events, suggesting close monitoring and proactive management of ILD/pneumonitis is warranted for all patients.” Read more here.