Most oncologists are willing to prescribe hormone therapy for cervical cancer patients who experience early menopause due to radiation treatment, but several barriers prevent many from doing so, according to an April 16 study by the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center published in JAMA Network Open.
The issue affects premenopausal patients treated with chemoradiotherapy—a combination of chemotherapy and radiation—who often undergo menopause as a side effect. This can lead to symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disruption, and vaginal dryness. While clinical guidelines recommend hormonal therapy for managing these symptoms, its use remains limited among this patient group.
The research team led by Denise Fabian, M.D., with Morgan Levy, M.D., as first author, surveyed 178 gynecologic and radiation oncology clinicians nationwide about their attitudes toward prescribing hormonal therapy following chemoradiotherapy. The survey found that 99.3 percent of gynecologic oncologists and 73.8 percent of radiation oncologists would consider prescribing hormonal therapy in these cases. However, both groups cited challenges including the ability to manage long-term patient care and insufficient awareness of current clinical guidelines.
"This study highlights a critical opportunity to strengthen survivorship care for cervical cancer patients, both in Kentucky and nationwide," said Fabian.
Levy said: "This work has shown us that oncologists are interested in prescribing hormonal therapy to improve quality of life for our patients. We are excited to continue working with our multidisciplinary team in survivorship and gynecologic oncology to design interventions to improve the standard of care."
According to the researchers, future efforts will focus on increasing guideline awareness among clinicians and developing strategies that make it easier for them to prescribe hormone therapy when appropriate.
