‘Bringing Every Single Resource’ When Caring for Patients Receiving Treatment for Gynecologic Cancers
A multidisciplinary approach to adverse effect management addresses many needs patients with gynecologic cancers may have while undergoing treatment.
The management of patients with gynecologic cancer receiving novel therapies necessitates a multidisciplinary approach, especially to address adverse effects, an expert said.
To ensure optimal patient outcomes and effective symptom management, oncology nurses must collaborate closely with other healthcare professionals, said Jessica L. Walchonski, PA-C, MMS, physician assistant at UCLA Health. This includes bringing in palliative care for pain management and other supportive care needs. A coordinated effort among the care team is essential for addressing the unique challenges faced by these patients.
At the recent 8th Annual School of Nursing Oncology, Walchonski presented on emerging strategies for the treatment of patients with gynecologic cancers. She also spoke with Oncology Nursing News about the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in managing adverse effects and other patient needs during treatment.
Transcript:
So, I think there's a lot of different [unique considerations]. It’s important to just remember that it is always, in oncology, a multidisciplinary approach. And so, we talked about a few different medications—mirvetuximab (Elahere) in ovarian cancer, tisotumab [vedotin] (Tivdak) in cervical cancer—where, for example, you have to really be getting ophthalmology on board and on board very early on. So, [it’s] important just make sure that you're using all of the specialties that you have access to. There are a lot of ocular toxicities with these new medications, with these antibody drug conjugates.
We also will frequently be getting, obviously, like palliative care on board to help kind of manage some of these side effects, sometimes pain management if we need it. So, just kind of making sure that you're bringing every single resource onto the team as you can so that way we're just kind of delivering the best patient care for these women and also just managing side effects as best as we can.
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
