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.

In the interview, 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 read our full interview with her on Cervical Cancer Awareness Month!

Transcript:

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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