Considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Your treatment schedule may be adjusted during COVID–19 in order to limit exposure
- To protect your immune system, something called growth factor supports may help maintain white blood cell count
- Low white blood cell count can increase risk of infection
- It’s possible to continue treatment with limited contact between patients and physician
During the COVID-19 pandemic, ovarian cancer patients may feel wary about entering a hospital or infusion center, but it’s important that they talk to their doctors to learn how they can safely continue to receive treatment. Doctors are rethinking ways to deliver care while limiting infection risk, and hospitals have adopted new procedures designed to maintain high levels of patient safety — even for chemotherapy patients, who may be immunocompromised.
Important to Continue Treatment
“When you are on chemotherapy, despite the COVID pandemic, we think it’s important to consider continuing your treatment,” says Dr. Lee-May Chen. a gynecologic cancer surgeon at UCSF Health in San Francisco.
“Sometimes it depends on the goals,” she notes. “In the situation where we’re giving chemotherapy to cure your cancer, we think it is important for us to still consider how to deliver chemotherapy and continue your treatment without significant delay.” Your doctor can map out a plan to continue treatment safely.
Schedule Adjustments
“We make some adjustments in the schedule,” Dr. Chen explains. Chemotherapy visits may be spaced farther apart, if appropriate, to reduce the number of visits. “We may consider giving you some growth factors support, if appropriate, so that your white blood cell count does not drop as low when you are neutropenic.” (Neutropenia is a condition associated with a low white-blood-cell count, and may be caused by chemotherapy.) “When your white count is low, you may have a higher risk for developing infections,” she explains.
Telemedicine
Whenever possible, doctors are doing consultations over video chat portals to keep patients out of hospitals and medical offices as much as possible. Virtual visits are appropriate for conversations about side-effects, symptoms, or concerns– or ask your doctor questions about your treatment.
“We are also continuing treatment at our infusion center, but limiting some of our in-person contact with our patients by doing video visits in advance of treatment,” Dr. Chen notes. “When we need to see you for a symptom evaluation, if we need to listen to your lungs, do a physical examination, we will see you in person. Otherwise, we are frequently doing a video encounter.” Doctors may also replace other physical examinations with telemedicine appointments to to check up on patients, ask them about any concerns, and make sure they’re doing all right in-between treatments.
Lab Work
“You will still get labs done before going into the infusion center,” says Dr. Chen, “where our nurses and nurse practitioners continue to be available to provide treatment during this difficult time.”
The important thing is to remember that there are many options for ovarian cancer treatment, even in the middle of a pandemic. Surgery is still being performed, and chemotherapy is still being administered, although the schedule and timing of both may be altered. Patients and their doctors can decide together what kind of treatment protocol is best given their specific medical issues and the reality of the pandemic.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Lee-may Chen is a gynecologic cancer surgeon at UCSF Health. Read More
Considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Your treatment schedule may be adjusted during COVID–19 in order to limit exposure
- To protect your immune system, something called growth factor supports may help maintain white blood cell count
- Low white blood cell count can increase risk of infection
- It’s possible to continue treatment with limited contact between patients and physician
During the COVID-19 pandemic, ovarian cancer patients may feel wary about entering a hospital or infusion center, but it’s important that they talk to their doctors to learn how they can safely continue to receive treatment. Doctors are rethinking ways to deliver care while limiting infection risk, and hospitals have adopted new procedures designed to maintain high levels of patient safety — even for chemotherapy patients, who may be immunocompromised.
Important to Continue Treatment
“When you are on chemotherapy, despite the COVID pandemic, we think it’s important to consider continuing your treatment,” says Dr. Lee-May Chen. a gynecologic cancer surgeon at UCSF Health in San Francisco.
Read More “Sometimes it depends on the goals,” she notes. “In the situation where we’re giving chemotherapy to cure your cancer, we think it is important for us to still consider how to deliver chemotherapy and continue your treatment without significant delay.” Your doctor can map out a plan to continue treatment safely.
Schedule Adjustments
“We make some adjustments in the schedule,” Dr. Chen explains. Chemotherapy visits may be spaced farther apart, if appropriate, to reduce the number of visits. “We may consider giving you some growth factors support, if appropriate, so that your white blood cell count does not drop as low when you are neutropenic.” (Neutropenia is a condition associated with a low white-blood-cell count, and may be caused by chemotherapy.) “When your white count is low, you may have a higher risk for developing infections,” she explains.
Telemedicine
Whenever possible, doctors are doing consultations over video chat portals to keep patients out of hospitals and medical offices as much as possible. Virtual visits are appropriate for conversations about side-effects, symptoms, or concerns– or ask your doctor questions about your treatment.
“We are also continuing treatment at our infusion center, but limiting some of our in-person contact with our patients by doing video visits in advance of treatment,” Dr. Chen notes. “When we need to see you for a symptom evaluation, if we need to listen to your lungs, do a physical examination, we will see you in person. Otherwise, we are frequently doing a video encounter.” Doctors may also replace other physical examinations with telemedicine appointments to to check up on patients, ask them about any concerns, and make sure they’re doing all right in-between treatments.
Lab Work
“You will still get labs done before going into the infusion center,” says Dr. Chen, “where our nurses and nurse practitioners continue to be available to provide treatment during this difficult time.”
The important thing is to remember that there are many options for ovarian cancer treatment, even in the middle of a pandemic. Surgery is still being performed, and chemotherapy is still being administered, although the schedule and timing of both may be altered. Patients and their doctors can decide together what kind of treatment protocol is best given their specific medical issues and the reality of the pandemic.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Lee-may Chen is a gynecologic cancer surgeon at UCSF Health. Read More
