A systematic approach to the management of menses prophylaxis and suppression in pre-menopausal hematologic cancer patients.

Objective: Hematologic malignancies in women of reproductive age carry significant additional morbidity due to menstrual bleeding in conjunction with disease and treatment-associated cytopenias. Several agents for menses prophylaxis and suppression exist, but there is a paucity of data comparing these therapies, particularly in the cancer setting.

Data Sources: A thorough literature review and evaluation of available data was conducted via PubMed search and combined with clinical expertise.

The evolving role of the Women's Health Specialist in cancer prevention and survivorship.

Importance And Objective: This review provides a framework for primary care physicians, internists, family doctors, NP's, PA's, and oncologists caring for women-henceforth referred to as Women's Health Specialists-to identify and screen patients who may be at high risk for inherited cancer syndromes; an intervention referred to as previvorship care. For women who undergo risk-reducing oophorectomy, survivorship care is critical to optimizing quality of life thereafter. In this paper, we review management of the unique survivorship needs and management options for women at risk for or with a cancer diagnosis, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary care.

Brain cancer and sexual health: a case report.

Objective: Cancer patients often encounter sexual concerns during the diagnosing, treatment, and recovery phase of their illness. However, the sexual concerns of these patients are often overlooked. Brain cancer patients are no exception to this oversight.

Ovarian carcinoma screening in women at intermediate risk: impact on quality of life and need for invasive follow-up.

Background: Women with family histories suggestive of an increased risk of ovarian carcinoma who have not had a deleterious BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation identified are commonly suggested to consider ovarian carcinoma screening with transvaginal ultrasound and/or assessment of CA 125 levels. Limited information is available regarding the impact of this approach on either quality of life (QOL) or need for invasive follow-up in this group of women.

Methods: From November 1999 to October 2002, 184 women at intermediate risk of ovarian carcinoma were enrolled in a prospective study.

Gynecologic cancer treatment and the impact of cancer-related infertility.

Objective: The objective of this study was to empirically assess the emotional and sexual impact of cancer-related infertility in women with a history of gynecologic cancer.

Method: Women with a history of gynecologic cancer were approached during their gynecologic oncology clinic appointment; they were provided a description of the study and asked to participate. All participants completed a one-time self-report survey.

Chemotherapy-induced dyspareunia: a case study of vaginal mucositis and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin injection in advanced stage ovarian carcinoma.

Background: Chemotherapy can cause vaginal irritation and mucositis, although rarely reported.

Case: A 62-year-old patient with ovarian cancer reported vaginal burning associated with dyspareunia, which emerged 3-5 days after her initial chemotherapy and persisted throughout her treatment. Her discomfort persisted until she was evaluated by our sexual health service and interventions were implemented.

Pre- and postmenopausal high-risk women undergoing screening for ovarian cancer: anxiety, risk perceptions, and quality of life.

Objective: Recommendations for women at high risk of ovarian cancer include prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy (PSO) or screening with transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) and CA125 levels. The best strategy for improving survival and maintaining quality of life in high-risk women is not known. Premenopausal women may be more reluctant than postmenopausal women to undergo PSO.

Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy in women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.

Background: Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy is often considered by carriers of BRCA mutations who have completed childbearing. However, there are limited data supporting the efficacy of this approach. We prospectively compared the effect of risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy with that of surveillance for ovarian cancer on the incidence of subsequent breast cancer and BRCA-related gynecologic cancers in women with BRCA mutations.