Cancers, such as ovarian, endometrial and uterine, are best treated by a gynecologic oncologist, but millions of women don’t have access to one

If you’re diagnosed with a gynecological cancer, such as ovarian or uterine, you’d probably prefer to be treated by a doctor who specializes in, and only treats, women with gynecological cancer. Unfortunately, where you live may determine whether or not this is feasible or convenient.

A recent study released by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCIB) reported that about nine percent of the female population may face barriers when accessing adequate gynecological cancer care. And this may be affecting survival outcomes. Turns out, millions of women may be geographically deterred from seeking out the best-suited cancer care because they live far away from practices and institutions with gynecologic cancer specialists.

To be considered a low-access county (LAC), a town or community must be at least 50 miles away from the nearest board-certified gynecologic oncologist. About 14.8 million American women live in LACs and thus face geographic challenges and associated costs when identifying who will treat their cancer and where.

The University of Colorado is the only National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) location in the entire Rocky Mountain region. To qualify as an NCCN location, a practice or institution must meet stringent guidelines in the cancer treatments offered and employ the most specialized physicians. In the case of gynecological cancer, this means a gynecologic oncologist. Also known as GynOncs, these are board-certified gynecologists who have undergone an additional three to four years of specialized oncology training from an American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology-approved fellowship program.

GynOnc patient survival rates nearly twice as good

The little research available on the subject suggests that women treated by a gynecologic oncologist may experience nearly twice the survival rates of those not treated by a gynecology cancer specialist. That’s a considerable difference. To fully understand the issue, a full nationwide clinical study should examine clinical outcomes among women who have been diagnosed with and are being treated for any type of gynecological cancer.

I’m not necessarily advocating for more treatment centers. I don’t think that smaller towns and locations could support this. We just need to be able to bridge the access gap between patient and gynecologic oncologist in more ways that are convenient for patients. One possibility is creating traveling systems for gynecologic oncologist cancer specialists to be available in areas when needed. From the insurance standpoint, plans could start subsidizing travel costs for gynecological cancer treatment.

We’re really only just beginning to understand this issue, but I hope that I can leave you with one concrete conclusion. Give yourself or a loved one the absolute best shot at successful cancer treatment for gynecological cancers and visit a gynecologic oncologist ASAP.