Dr. Ritu 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. 

Dr. Ritu Salani 

Dr. Ritu Salani discusses how patients with cervical cancer can advocate for their health and collaborate with their medical team to ensure the best care.

Empowering Patients and Advocating For Yourself After Cervical Cancer

Dr. Ritu Salani, a board-certified gynecologic oncologist and the Director of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), UCLA Health, sat down for an interview with CURE on the topic of cervical cancer.

, she highlighted how patients with cervical cancer can best advocate for their health and collaborate with their medical team to ensure the best possible care, going on to highlight specific organization, government and society groups which patients can turn to as a resource following their cervical cancer diagnosis. She also highlights that it is vital to educate yourself as much as possible and connect with survivor groups in order to speak with like-minded people who are also going through a similar experience.

This interview took place during January, which serves as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, so don’t forget to 

This is a conversation that can happen over days, let alone [happen in] a quick snippet. The most important thing is to educate yourself as much as you can and engage in patient advocacy platforms. There are some amazing resources out there, like survivor [groups]. There's also government or society groups that are working to educate such as The Foundation of Women's Cancer, the International Gynecologic Cancer Society and even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA].

All of these organizations are putting out tools that will help educate you about advocacy, what the best treatment is, what trials are ongoing and provide a community for you for support and connect [you] with people who may be going through similar experiences. That can be really powerful. I want to highlight that you're never alone, and you should never feel alone, and if you do, we need to do a better job.

Transcript was edited for clarity and conciseness.

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Videos

Dr. Ritu Salani shared her advice for patients undergoing advanced treatment options for their cervical cancer who are experiencing side effects.

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!

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.

Dr. Ritu Salani

Empowering Patients and Advocating For Yourself After Cervical Cancer

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

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