Introduction: Male cancer survivors may develop sexual dysfunction (SD) even many years after the recovery from the original malignant disease. An andrological assessment of these patients is not routinely provided in the everyday clinical practice. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of and the clinical characteristics of cancer survivors in a cohort of men seeking medical help for SD (any) in the real-life setting of an andrological tertiary-referral centre. Methods: Complete data from 2841 men consecutively assessed for new-onset SD between 2005 and 2022 were analysed. All patients were assessed with a comprehensive sexual and medical history, including history of any non-metastatic cancer (i.e., urological cancers, non-urological solid cancers, haematological cancer). All patients were invited to complete the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), and the Beck’s Depression Index (BDI). The IIEF-Erectile function (IIEF-EF) domain was categorized according to Cappelleri’s criteria. Results: Of all, 237 (8.34%) patients reported a history of non-metastatic cancer, either solid or haematological. Of 237, 118 (49.8%) patients had a history of urological cancer, 92 (38.8%) of non-urological solid cancer, and 27 (11.4%) of haematological malignancies. Overall, the most frequent complaint was ED (76.4% of patients), followed by Peyronie’s disease (PD) (13.9%), low sexual desire/interest (LSD/I) (13.5%), premature ejaculation (PE) (6.8%), and delayed ejaculation (2.1%). Moreover, the most frequent concurrent complaints were ED and LSD/I reported together by 11.4% of patients, followed by ED and PD reported by 8.4% of patients. Of all, prostate cancer (PCa) survivors accounted for 41.0% of solid cancer survivors and 37.1% of the whole cohort. The most frequent non-urological cancer was colorectal cancer (CRC), reported by 10.6% of patients. Men with a history of either PCa or CRC complained more of ED [98 (92.5%) vs .68 (62.4%) men; p=0.001] and had lower rates of normal IIEF-EF [1 (0.9%) vs. 6 (5.5%) men; p=0.03], with respect to patients with a history of other types of cancers, whom conversely reported higher rates of PE [4 (3.8%) vs. 12 (11%) men; p=0.03] and of PD [9 (8.5%) vs. 21 (19.3%) men; p=0.007]. Conclusions: Almost 10% of men seeking first medical help for SD in a tertiary-referral andrology centre are cancer survivors. Following the improvement of survivorship rates in male patients, an andrological assessment should always be included throughout the follow-up of cancer survivors. SOURCE OF Funding: N/A
