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Welcome to the latest episode of Supportive Care Matters. Join Medical Oncologist Professor Bogda Koczwara AM and Dr. Wanda Cui as they dive deep into the often overlooked complexities of ovarian toxicity in cancer care.
In this engaging podcast, Bogda and Wanda go beyond the surface discussions of fertility to explore the vital importance of a woman’s overall ovarian health after cancer treatment. They discuss the far-reaching effects of early menopause triggered by cancer therapies on cardiovascular and bone health, emphasising the significance of safeguarding reproductive potential through fertility preservation methods.
Together, they tackle the challenges of measuring ovarian function in clinical practice, highlighting the disparities in menstrual recovery among different age groups post-treatment. By exploring predictive values and the effectiveness of indicators like menstruation, pregnancy rates and hormonal levels, they provide insights into personalised clinical practices essential for addressing individual patient needs.
The discussion also emphasises the urgent need for improved research in ovarian toxicity, particularly within breast cancer trials where data is lacking.
Host:
Bogda Koczwara AM
Professor Bogda Koczwara AM
Professor Bogda Koczwara AM is a medical oncologist and a senior staff specialist at the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer in Adelaide, Australia.
Professor Koczwara completed her oncology training at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, USA, and received a Master in Bioethics degree from Monash University, Australia.
Her clinical interests revolve around management of breast cancer, cancer survivorship, psycho-oncology and supportive care as well as health services development, integration with primary care and cancer education for health care professionals.
Connect with Bogda on Twitter: @bogda_koczwara
Guests:
Dr Wanda Cui
Dr Wanda Cui
Dr Wanda Cui is a consultant medical oncologist in the Breast Cancer and Lung Cancer Service at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne. Her areas of interest are cancer and pregnancy, understanding and preventing the unwanted effects of cancer treatments on ovarian function and fertility, and cancer prevention.
After graduating from the University of Melbourne and completing her medical oncology specialist training in Melbourne, Dr Cui underwent a clinical fellowship at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, where she later worked as a consultant medical oncologist in the Royal Marsden Lung Cancer Unit. She returned to Australia in 2022 and works in the breast cancer clinic, lung cancer clinic, and cancer risk management clinic at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Her research focuses on oncofertility and cancer prevention. She is the first author of the ASCO research statement regarding assessing ovarian toxicity in cancer clinical trials. She is a member of the prevention working group of the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission and is the Breast Cancer Trials Australia deputy chair for the Decrescendo trial.
Connect with Wanda on Twitter/X: @CuiWanda and LinkedIn: Wanda Cui
Paper:
Cui W, Rocconi RP, Thota R, Aet al. Measuring ovarian toxicity in clinical trials: an American Society of Clinical Oncology research statement. Lancet Oncol. 2023 Oct;24(10):e415-e423. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00390-X. PMID: 37797647. Access online here.
