COVID-19 creates hurdles in ovarian cancer treatment
- Covid-19 poses new challenges for doctors caring for ovarian cancer patients.
- In many hospitals, surgeries are being postponed as a result of the pandemic.
- During this time, doctors are changing the order of treatment and administering medicines before surgery.
Newly diagnosed patients who may need surgery present a particular concern for Dr. Jeanne Schilder, division director of gynecologic oncology at the Indiana University Medical Center, and her team. "During this COVID crisis, we’re faced with limitations in operating rooms, ventilators, intensive care units, personal protective equipment. And that really limits our ability to start with the surgical evaluation," Schilder says. Initial doctor visits might also be delayed.
Read More Because this is wholly uncharted territory and protocols don't exist, surgeons are considering data from previous studies to guide their treatment decisions. In some cases, this means changing the order of treatment and administering medicines before surgery. Ovarian cancer is typically treated with surgery first, but since elective surgeries are on hold at many hospitals, patients are often starting on chemo. "We’re fortunate to know from prior research that the order of those doesn’t matter, that the outcomes are similar even if a patient starts with chemotherapy," Schilder says. Chemotherapy, though, poses its own set of risks and challenges because it can compromise a patient’s immune system. "So, we have to be very thoughtful and careful about the type of chemotherapy we recommend. We’re fortunate that there are various treatment regimens that may decrease the risk of immune suppression, and that we can alter the chemo doses during this period of time."
If you're a newly diagnosed patient whose surgery has been postponed, speak with your provider to discuss the best approach to chemotherapy, to decrease your risk of immune suppression.
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