Podcast

Addressing Gynecologic Health During and After Cancer

Author(s):

Ryan McDonald

In this episode of the “CURE Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with a breast surgical oncologist and gynecologic surgeon about why the topic of gynecologic health is a taboo subject when it comes to cancer treatment, and what patients can do to treat those changes.

Many patients who are currently receiving treatment for cancer, or are in remission, are aware of some of the crippling side effects associated with treatment. However, as one breast surgical oncologist notes, many patients are unaware of the gynecologic health side effects that are associated with not just breast cancer treatment, but for other cancer treatments as well.

In this week’s episode, we spoke with Dr. Kristin Rojas, a breast surgical oncologist and gynecologic surgeon, who recently led a discussion during Susan G. Komen Greater New York City’s Sex and Breast Cancer Conference about the gynecologic changes patients experience during and after cancer treatment.

Rojas, who is also director of the Maimonides Urogenital, Sexual Health And Intimacy Center (MUSIC) Program, addresses why the topic of gynecologic health is a taboo subject when it comes to cancer treatment, as well as what patients can do to treat those changes. Additionally, she offers advice to patients who may be hesitant to discuss the symptoms with their health care provider.

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Dr. Azka Ali is a medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, in Ohio.
Dr. Maxwell Lloyd, a Clinical Fellow in Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Dr. Maxwell Lloyd, a Clinical Fellow in Medicine, in the Department of Medicine, at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Dr. Aditya Bardia is a professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, director of Translational Research Integration, and a member Signal Transduction and Therapeutics, at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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