ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psycho-Oncology
Sexual Quality of Life among Patients with Lung Cancer and HIV-Infected People Living With HIV: A Cross-Sectional Study
Marta Milewska-Buzun 1
Anna Baranowska 1
Rafal Buzun 2
Mateusz Zarychta 3
Mateusz Cybulski 1
1. Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
2. Rzeszow University of Technology, Rzeszow, Poland
3. Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland
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Abstract
Introduction: Sexual quality of life is an important component of health and well-being for people with chronic diseases. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess sexual quality of life among patients with lung cancer and HIV-infected people living with HIV. Methods: The study included 191 participants (98 men and 93 women) diagnosed with lung cancer or HIV infection. The study used a proprietary questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15), and the Sexual Quality of Life—Female (SQoL-F) and Male (SQoL-M). Results: Among men, statistically significant negative relationships were observed between age and erectile function (p=0.04), orgasmic function (p=0.018), and sexual desire (p=0.032) on the IIEF-15. Sexual desire among women was significantly negatively correlated with age in the lung cancer group (p=0.007). The level of formal education had a significant influence on the scores in individual domains on the IIEF-15. The analysis indicated a significant impact relationship of formal education level on sexual quality of life in both men and women. The analysis performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences in erectile function (p=0.044) and orgasmic function (p=0.012) in men depending on financial status. In terms of SQoL-F, women who rated their financial situation as "neither good nor bad" scored significantly lower than women with a good financial situation (p=0.007). Discussion: In conclusion, sociodemographic factors such as age, formal education, and financial status, significantly influenced the functioning of patients living with HIV and those diagnosed with lung cancer. Individuals living with HIV demonstrated higher levels of sexual functioning and sexual quality of life compared with patients with lung cancer. A better financial situation, and higher formal educational attainment were associated with higher scores on scales used in the study.
Summary
Keywords
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Lungcancer, sexual desire, Sexual function, Sexual quality of life, sexual satisfaction
Received
20 December 2025
Accepted
17 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Milewska-Buzun, Baranowska, Buzun, Zarychta and Cybulski. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Marta Milewska-Buzun
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