This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Ashton Getchell about follow up care for head and neck cancer survivors after completing active cancer treatment. Ashton Getchell is a physician assistant who is leading the survivorship program within the Head and Neck Oncology Department at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Head and neck cancer survivors often need specialized, comprehensive follow up care after completing active cancer treatment. Ashton Getchell is here to provide the details. Ashton is a physician assistant who is leading the survivorship program within the Head and Neck Oncology Department at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. Ashton, what does it mean specifically to be a head and neck cancer survivor, and what types of ongoing care do these patients require after active treatment ends?
Ashton Getchell: Thanks for having me, Bobbi. So, what it really means to be a head and neck cancer survivor is any patient that has been diagnosed with a cancer of the head or neck region. That could be the skin, the mouth, the throat, the eyes. Depending on the type of cancer that a patient may have, some cancers require more in-depth treatments. Some patients just require surgery alone. Other patients may require surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. After treatment ends patients typically require ongoing surveillance to make sure that the cancer doesn't come back. As a part of the visit we also order scans, so CT scans, other types of scans, and we also get blood work to make sure that there's no signs systemically of cancer coming back either.
Conner: You are looking at all kinds of issues in real life and also issues from the treatment of cancer itself. Tell us more about that.
Ashton Getchell: That's right. So, in addition to making sure that there's no signs of cancer coming back, I'm also there to make sure that patients are functioning in the best way possible on a day to day basis. They're not having any issues with eating or with swallowing and radiation surgery. Those both can affect those functions on a day to day basis. And so, you know, if they are having issues with swallowing or eating, I get them plugged in with speech language pathology or dental clinics or any other service if needed, depending on the symptom.
Conner: What sort of emotional and social support is especially important for head and neck cancer survivors?
Ashton Getchell: It's a really important thing to check in with yourself periodically to see how you're doing from an emotional standpoint. My job is to, you know, be that person to check in with those people to make sure that they are being honest with themselves about how they are doing and to provide emotional or social support if needed with our behavioral medicine program at MUSC Psychology Services and other social services that are available.
Conner: I know a multidisciplinary team approach is especially important for head and neck cancer survivors. What sorts of specialists are really on that team?
Ashton Getchell: So, our team has a huge group of people that come together to try and make these patients lives as good as possible. I'm responsible for the cancer surveillance and also making sure symptoms aren't being detrimental to those patients in their lives. But I also work with speech language pathology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral medicine, and a variety of other specialists to ensure that these patients are being cared for by a well-rounded team. So, it's important to make sure cancer is not coming back, but it's equally as important to make sure that patients feel that they can live their day to day lives as functional as possible and to the fullest.
Conner: Ashton, thanks for talking with us about head and neck cancer survivorship.
Ashton Getchell: Thank you so much for having me Bobbi. It's been a pleasure.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
