Fewer than half of ovarian cancer
patients at American hospitals receive the type of treatment that has
long been known to prolong survival the most, doctors reported on
Monday.
The treatment involves pumping chemotherapy directly into the abdomen. In 2006, a major study
found that compared with intravenous chemotherapy alone, a combination
of intravenous and abdominal treatment could add 16 months or more to
women’s lives.
But
nearly 10 years later, the abdominal treatment is still underused.
Experts suggest a variety of reasons: It is harder to administer than
intravenous therapy, and some doctors may doubt its benefits or think it
is too toxic. Some may also see it as a drain on their income, because
it is time-consuming and uses generic drugs on which oncologists make
little money.
“It’s
very unfortunate, but it’s the real world,” said Dr. Maurie Markman,
the president of medicine and science at Cancer Treatment Centers of
America. He added, “The word ‘tragic’ would be fair.”
He
said that for now, a woman’s best option is to ask whether her doctor
offers the treatment, and if the answer is no, to find a doctor who
does!!
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