An Expert Shares Her Advice For Managing Side Effects in Cervical Cancer

During January, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to bring awareness to the disease’s treatment landscape. A vital aspect of cervical care for patients to be aware of is side effects, and the mitigation of these side effects.

In an interview with CURE®, Dr. Ritu Salani shared her advice for patients undergoing advanced treatment options for their cancer — such as immunotherapy or other targeted options — and emphasized the importance of always speaking with your health care team.

Salani currently serves as the Director of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), UCLA Health, and is a board-certified gynecologic oncologist. Don't forget to read our full interview with her on Cervical Cancer Awareness Month!

Transcript:

The best thing is to speak with your doctor and your medical care team about what side effects to potentially expect and to monitor for it. Sometimes we tolerate side effects a little bit better when we know that the cancer treatment is working or doing its job; however, we can also help mitigate or reduce some of these side effects like diarrhea, nausea and pain.

There's a lot of things that we can do, so having that open dialogue with your healthcare team is going to be really important. For many patients, [the healthcare team may consist of] gynecologic oncologists, allied health professionals such as physician assistants or nurse practitioners, nursing staff, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. Overall, it is a team of people that are there to work with you.

The other thing to think about [is to not] be ashamed or shy to report your symptoms. It is important that we know this, as keeping [patients] on an effective therapy is one of the most important things, and if side effects develop, we may have to reduce or delay treatment, but not stop it. That's important because if we can help you stay on treatment longer, even if it's with a slow, slight delay or a reduced dose, it's still getting the therapy, and that can be key to treating your cancer.

Transcript was edited for clarity and conciseness.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.