Survey Says Gaps Exist in Gynecologic Cancer Treatment

Barriers and gaps in treatment and care for patients diagnosed with gynecologic cancers were reported in a recent survey.

Unmet needs and barriers were found in patient care and support for those with gynecologic cancers, findings from the Your Cancer Is Our Challenge survey revealed.¹

Results showed that 73% of patients didn’t believe they were empowered to overcome their cancer diagnosis. Additionally, 78% of patients reported difficulty in accessing the treatment that was necessary for their disease; the top challenge was appointment availability, as 36% of patients noted.²

“Being diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer, such as ovarian cancer, impacts every aspect of your life,” Jennifer Garam, an ovarian cancer survivor, stated in a news release.³ “Beyond medical treatment, patients with gynecologic cancers have many other needs that also have to be addressed, such as access to information, resources and the right psychosocial support.”

In the Your Cancer Is Our Challenge survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, 818 patients were contacted and included in the dataset. Their geographic locations spanned across 10 countries: Brazil (n = 51), France (n = 100), Germany (n = 105), Greece (n = 50), Italy (n = 105), Poland (n = 50), Spain (n = 100), Turkey (n = 50), the United Kingdom (n = 105), and the United States (n = 102). Diagnoses from the patients, who were aged 18 years and older, included cervical (39.4%), endometrial (35.2%), ovarian (18.9%), vaginal (5.0%), and/or vulvar cancers (1.5%).

Total sample data are accurate throughout this study within 3.6% using a 95% confidence level. Each country’s results were not weighted; thus, no regional conclusions could be drawn.

Gaps in knowledge related to treatment, emotion burden of treatment and care, low utilization of patient support, and barriers to care were the most given challenges among surveyed patients.

Of the patients surveyed, 72% experienced issues that worked to prevent them from attending their medical appointments. The most common of these issues were day-to-day responsibilities (25%), difficulty managing required paperwork (24%), and feeling too ill to leave their home (23%).

Though most patients (91%) felt they received the best treatment possible for their type of cancer, 20% of patients felt no one understood their individual experience and 30% felt as if they were “to blame” for their diagnosis. More than half of patients under 30 (55%) said their mental health had been negatively impacted by their disease.

In hand with this, 25% of patients participated in cancer support groups and 14% of patients, reported finding a helpful and beneficial gynecologic support group. Also, 30% of patients noted not wanting to trouble their caregivers and loved ones.

Thirty-four percent of patients included in the survey have never had any type of genetic testing done. Of this group, 74% wished they had been given a clearer explanation of their genetic test results by their health care provider.

Per knowledge of treatment, a majority felt their treatment options were explained well by their health care provider, but 41% felt uncertain about what to expect during treatment and 36% were uncertain about what to expect following treatment.

Amina Ahmed, MD, a gynecologic oncologist from Illinois said, “With the prevalence of precision medicine and biomarker-based treatment decisions in cancer care, it’s important for health care providers to offer guidance and direct patients to recourses to help them understand their options, which are often highly tailored to the individual patient.”³

This survey is the first part of the Your Cancer Is Our Challenge program, a GSK-sponsored initiative to improve the experience of patients with gynecologic cancer undergoing treatment and care through data collection. The next step of the program will be to release solutions informed by these data to assist patients and health care providers alike.

References

1. New GSK-sponsored survey reveals unique gaps in care and support facing patients with gynaecologic cancers. News Release. GSK plc. November 12, 2024. Accessed November 13, 2024. https://tinyurl.com/2nzvcbh9
2. Global barriers in gynaecologic oncology impacting treatment experience and outcomes. GSK plc. https://tinyurl.com/snrwc93y. Published November 12, 2024. Accessed November 13, 2024.
3. GSK plc. 78% of gynaecologic cancer patients experience challenges accessing the treatment they need, new survey shows. November 12, 2024. Accessed November 13, 2024. https://tinyurl.com/ycxj9mkr.