China News Service, Beijing, May 8 (Reporter Li Yanan) The results of the "Survey on the Survival Status of Ovarian Cancer Patients and Families in China" (hereinafter referred to as "Survey") have recently been released. The survey found that patients and their families face three major pain points during treatment. They are: difficulty in obtaining professional information, low access to new drugs and heavy economic burden.
May 8, 2020 is the eighth World Ovarian Cancer Day. It was initiated by Bethune Public Welfare Foundation and supported by Zai Ding Medicine to carry out the "Bethune Care for Women's Health Initiative. Enjoy the New Life-Caring for Ovarian Cancer Patients" project. Among them, the results of the "Survey on the Survival Status of Chinese Ovarian Cancer Patients and Families" (hereinafter referred to as "Survey") were officially released. The survey was conducted through online questionnaires issued by patient communities and patient groups. It aimed to focus on and understand the difficulties and pain points encountered by ovarian cancer patients and their families in the treatment process. Nearly 1,000 patients and family members participated in the survey.
The results of this survey show that more than 80% of ovarian cancer patients and their families have joined more than 2 patient groups and are concerned about multiple cancer science public accounts, but 61.64% of ovarian cancer patients and their families still express the main treatment The dilemma is that it is difficult to obtain professional treatment information. At the same time, although more than 90% of patients and their families choose patient groups and public platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, etc., more than 92% of ovarian cancer patients and their families expressed their expectation of science and advice from doctors. Hope to get more professional treatment guidance.
Professor Wu Lingying, director of the Department of Gynecology and Oncology at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and deputy director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College, pointed out: "In recent years, we have found that more and more patients and their families Will actively obtain disease diagnosis and treatment information on the Internet, and actively 'self-help'. Some of the information is relatively comprehensive and sufficient, and the patient family who can actively communicate with the attending doctor can form a benign interaction with the expert, and the treatment coordination and compliance can also be The corresponding improvement will help the patient's prognosis to a certain extent. "
Professor Wu Lingying added: "On the other hand, we also see that the treatment of malignant tumors is more complicated, but due to the scattered network information and unevenness, some one-sided or wrong information may cause patients to blindly refer to the treatment experience of other patients or even not follow the doctor. The treatment plan will not only cause obstacles for doctors' clinical diagnosis and treatment, but also allow patients to enter the treatment misunderstanding and delay the condition. In addition to clinical diagnosis and treatment, future hospitals and doctors should also be more actively involved in the work of disease science and provide More systematic and professional diagnosis and treatment information and recommendations to narrow the information gap between patients in treatment. I believe that as patients and their families continue to improve the degree of disease information, it will also help to improve the prognosis of the disease. Take ovarian cancer as an example. With the scientific and standardized treatment, I believe that the quality of life and survival time of patients will be further improved. "
The results of this survey also show that 84.48% of ovarian cancer patients and their families have limited knowledge about the overall treatment of the disease and innovative treatment methods, only understanding the current treatment methods; and among the patients who understand the innovative treatment methods, 18% of ovarian cancer Patients cannot afford the treatment costs of innovative drugs due to family economic reasons. The lack of treatment information and the heavy financial burden are the main obstacles for patients to obtain innovative treatments for ovarian cancer.
"In recent years, the country has been accelerating the approval of innovative drugs, and has been accelerating the market for accurate and urgently needed drugs. However, there are still a considerable number of patients who are unable to use new drugs because they do not understand or have economic reasons." Professor Wu Lingying said. "For example, the new drug Nilapari, which was approved for marketing at the end of last year, can be used for maintenance treatment of patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. At the same time, its new indication for first-line maintenance treatment of advanced ovarian cancer has just been approved by the FDA, and has been in Domestic applications for supplementary new drugs are submitted and included in the priority review. Regardless of whether the patient has a BRCA mutation, Nilapari can significantly extend its progression-free survival and will become the only single drug used for first-line maintenance treatment of ovarian cancer in the future. PARP inhibitors are expected to change the current clinical treatment landscape. Therefore, on the one hand, we need to improve the understanding of patients and family members on innovative treatment methods through various channels. On the other hand, we also call on these innovative drugs to be included in the national medical insurance catalog as soon as possible and reduce payment. Pressure makes innovative medicines more affordable and more patients. "
According to reports, based on the actual needs of patients, during World Ovarian Cancer Day, Bethune Public Welfare Foundation and more than ten experts in the field of gynecology in the country hope to provide patients with professional and close to their own situations through online free clinics and caring camps for families of novice patients. Disease diagnosis and treatment information, while exploring a new model of anti-cancer with multiple help. (Finish)