Dr. Birrer on Challenges With Patient Demographics in Cervical Cancer

Michael Birrer, MD, PhD, director of Medical Gynecologic Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the challenges associated with the patient demographics of cervical cancer.

A majority of patients with cervical cancer are of underserved areas and likely do not have access to health care, Birrer explains. Moreover, this becomes a special population to treat. There are several inner-city medical centers that are stressed and overloaded with these patients, as well as those who come in for follow-up visits. At this point, many of these patients have advanced disease.

Even then, patients still fall through the cracks and are not optimally treated as a result of cultural, health, and insurance issues. This is because they prefer to avoid chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This is partly why this becomes a very difficult-to-treat population, he says.