The Silent Half of the Couple: Partner Sexual and Psychosocial Outcomes in Penile Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM: Surgical treatment of penile cancer, ranging from organ-sparing techniques to partial or total penectomy, profoundly affects sexual function, body image and psychosocial wellbeing. Although patient-reported outcomes have been extensively studied, the experience of the sexual partner remains largely unexplored. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesize the available evidence on sexual, psychosocial and relational outcomes reported directly by partners of men treated surgically for penile cancer, across the full spectrum of oncological penile surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). PubMed/MEDLINE indexed literature was searched, supplemented by citation chasing of reference lists of relevant reviews and targeted grey-literature screening, with no date restriction. Studies were eligible if they reported outcome data collected directly from partners of men who underwent any oncological surgical procedure for penile cancer. RESULTS: Of 25 records screened, three studies met the formal eligibility criteria for outcome data collected directly from partners; a fourth study, in which partner-related themes emerged only from patient interviews without direct partner sampling, was retained solely as supporting contextual evidence and was not counted among the formally included studies or in the PRISMA-ScR flow. Partner sexual dysfunction was reported in up to 5 of 10 evaluable partners (50%), and continued couple sexual activity after surgery ranged from 17 of 29 partners (58.6%) at 12 months in one cohort to 12 of 14 partners (85.7%) in another. Instruments used to assess partner outcomes were markedly heterogeneous, and no dyadic-specific validated instrument for penile cancer exists. CONCLUSION: Evidence on partner outcomes after penile cancer surgery is scarce, heterogeneous and almost entirely observational, despite broad agreement that these outcomes matter clinically. Standardized, validated dyadic assessment tools and prospective longitudinal cohorts are urgently needed to inform preoperative counselling and couple-centered rehabilitation.