How can patients stay updated as new cervical cancer research becomes available? Dr. Joshua Cohen shares advice to help patients learn about the latest cervical cancer treatment options and how they can take an active role in their care. Dr. Cohen explains why open communication with your healthcare team, including asking important questions and understanding new advances, can help patients make confident care decisions.
Dr. Joshua G. Cohen is a board-certified gynecologic oncologist and Medical Director of the Gynecologic Cancer Program at the City of Hope Orange County. Learn more about Dr. Cohen.
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Transcript
Dr. Josh Cohen:
I think the most important thing for patients is to have an open line of communication with their medical team. As a cancer doctor, I encourage patients to ask questions, and I think it’s really important for patients to feel very comfortable reaching out to their doctors, their advanced practitioners, their nurses and say, “Hey, is there anything new that maybe could help me, whether it’s a clinical trial or a new drug that’s become available?”
I think it’s also important in the age of social media and support groups online, it’s okay to seek help outside of your direct institution or your direct healthcare team through very supportive organizations that may focus on the cancer that you’re impacted by. Some important things to think about: clinicaltrials.gov.
Clinicaltrials.gov is a readily available website you can go to. You type in your condition – in this case, cervical cancer. You, perhaps, identify your location in the country, and what you’ll see are there are a number of clinical trials that will pop up that you may be a candidate for based on where you live. And so, for patients who are impacted by cervical cancer, whether they’re looking for a clinical trial or perhaps the latest and greatest, I would say access clinicaltrials.gov.
Another important aspect is seeking a second opinion. I think we as patients and family members don’t often think about, “Maybe I should have my loved one, or maybe I should get another opinion with another doctor.” I will tell you, as a cancer doctor, I’m okay with that. I encourage patients, if they feel the need, to get more opinions. That’s okay.
If you think about life, when you’re looking to buy a car or get a house, you don’t take the first mortgage offer, perhaps, or maybe go and get the first car. It’s an extrapolation, but this is your health. It’s okay to ask questions. It’s okay to seek another opinion, which may make you feel better about your current plan or maybe it gives you another sense of what is out there.
And I think if you’re going to seek another opinion, if you have the ability to get to a National Comprehensive Cancer Network – the acronym is NCCN – there are 33 of these institutions across the country.
But if you’re able to get to one of these institutions or a comprehensive cancer center in your state or your region, I think you should do that if it’s going to especially be a second opinion because these are entities that have large cancer teams, and you’ll often find that the doctors you’re talking to and the healthcare team are very skilled and very detailed in what they do because they do this every day and they see a number of patients with these conditions.
So, that’s how I would approach staying up to date with the latest and the greatest.