Interview with IJGC Social Media Editor Dr. Andreina Fernandes, Venezuela
We had a great catch up recently with Dr. Andreina Fernandes, the social media editor of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. She told us about her work with HPV and cervical cancer screening activities and about World Gynecological Oncology Day awareness events in Venezuela and online.
Read below to find out more in an excerpt (edited for length) or watch the full conversation on our Instagram!
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
I’m so excited today to invite Dr Andreina Fernandes, who is from Venezuela, to our call. Could you tell us a bit more about yourself?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
Well, first, thank you for the invitation. I love LOVE World Gynecologic Oncology Day, because it’s a very beautiful campaign to create awareness about gynecological cancer. I am a molecular biologist from Caracas, Venezuela. I mostly work with HPV and cervical cancer, but I make basic research related to other gynecological cancers too.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
You also do some outreach work. Can you talk a bit about that?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
Yeah, I belong to a beautiful group. We formed the gynecology-oncology section from the obstetrics and gynecology society of Venezuela. The last two years, we made a project called Gynecology Oncology at Home, and we travel all over the country, giving lectures about gynecological cancer to different specialists and fellows, because we believe that every specialist and every fellow must have the adequate tools and the adequate knowledge to treat properly the patient with gynecological cancer. This treatment will have a very important impact in the evolution of the of the disease, the management of the disease and in the general health of the patient.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
And you were saying that Venezuela has some unique challenges too, in getting care to patients, because you have very few gynecologic oncologists.
Dr Andreina Fernandes
We have only one fellowship to form gynecologists into gynecologic oncologists. So I think we can have 15 gynecologic oncologists for the whole country, and we are 30 million people. It’s difficult to have specialists in every region of the country, and also we have some deficiencies in radiotherapy and brachytherapy.
And [difficulty] at the national level to provide the adequate treatment for the patient in a public hospital. We can have treatment in private clinics that are very expensive. Most patients in Venezuela can’t afford this.
So we have a very important challenge, because the gynecological patients can’t complete an adequate treatment, because they can receive radiotherapy, but don’t find brachytherapy, or they can wait up to three months to receive an appointment with this treatment, so they don’t have the adequate times to get the proper treatment, so they are at major risk of relapse.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
Moving to the patient advocacy side, you’ve also been active with the patient advocacy group El Poder de Ser Mujer, who have been great supporters of World Gynecologic Oncology Day.
Dr Andreina Fernandes
We worked with them the first time in 2022. We made an academic event and the El Poder de Ser Mujer made a social event in Caracas square. They lighted an obelisk here in Caracas. It was a very beautiful event, very emotive, because there were patients and there were doctors.
We want to see more events like this, because we don’t have so many groups of patient awareness for gynecological cancer. The objective of most of these groups is breast cancer. It’s important to talk more about gynecological cancer.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
And that’s what we’re doing online today! This year for World Gynecologic Oncology Day, our campaign focus is stigma. And I know that you have mentioned there is a lot of work to be done in combating stigma about gynecological cancer in Venezuela. Can you talk a little bit about some of the concerns that patients have?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
I think the major concern here in Venezuela, or the main stigma, is cervical cancer, because it’s caused by a sexually transmitted virus. And this is a concern for our women, because the society thinks they have a lot of sexual partners, or they are careless, or they don’t use condoms, for example.
Every woman who receives a diagnosis with an HPV infection doesn’t want to be judged, because we have a very sexist society, and the women always have the blame of an HPV infection.
So it’s a difficult situation because the majority of women go alone to the clinic consultation because their husbands don’t support her. Or maybe after the diagnosis, they have a divorce.
And I think the major problem is the “sexual” word, right? Because, basically, it is a sexually transmitted infection. And this little word is a major problem, because people think the women have a lot of sexual partners. It’s not a reality, because with only one sexual partner, you can get infected with HPV.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
Right? And it might be their current husband. You don’t know. The way that other countries are trying to maybe eliminate cervical cancer is through vaccination. But you were saying that in Venezuela that’s not an option for a lot of people?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
We don’t have a program for the HPV vaccine. We have some HPV vaccines, but we don’t have a register for all the girls or all the women that have been vaccinated. So we really don’t know the percentage of our vaccination program, because it simply doesn’t exist. So we don’t know how many girls are vaccinated. We don’t know how many women are vaccinated. And the important thing is the vaccine is very expensive, so only the people who can pay for the vaccine get the vaccine. The real problem we have for low income people-who can pay for the vaccine?
We don’t have the HPV test needed in our screening program, so we still use the conventional Pap smear. It’s not a public campaign, okay, a lot of women don’t have their Pap test every year. Maybe the last year or five years ago.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
There must be also a financial barrier there as well, right?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
Yeah. And they go to the doctor only when they have symptoms, so when they have symptoms, they have cancer, basically. The idea is to detect the pre-cancerous lesions, to treat them properly and prevent cervical cancer. But it’s not our reality. Even when they go to the doctor, their cervical cancer diagnosis is in an advanced stage, so they need brachytherapy, they need radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and we have several problems with this treatment.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
Thanks for talking about this situation. Because I think it’s really interesting for people from different regions to discuss and see what the realities are.
So, moving on to talk a little bit about the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. Can you explain what it is that a social media editor does?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
Well, we have a lot of work! Basically my partner, Dr Aarthi Jayraj, and me, we made all the promotions of the articles of the month. We work with the authors of the articles to make the visual abstract, make all the promotions during the different days. Make the promotions of our activities, like the journal clubs, like the podcast that we have published every week of the month, and we also have very important interactions with the editorial fellows. They are awesome people from around the world, and they are learning how to review an article and how to be a possible editor in the future. So it’s a very enlightening activity, and because we learn a lot from each other. It’s very important work, I think. I really love my work with the journal.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
At the journal, you will also be doing some awareness activities for World Gynecologic Oncology Day. What do you guys have planned?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
A lot of families are incomplete right now because unfortunately these women die, caused by gynecological cancer. We believe that joining the World Gynecologic Oncology Day campaign is very important, and we always make the promotion in September.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
I look forward to seeing those posts!
What would you say to patients that come across stigma?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
Do not listen to people who may hurt you or harm you or judge you because you have a gynecological cancer. You are not to blame for your diagnosis. You deserve unconditional support, understanding, and above all, company during your treatment, during your surgery, and during this fact that you have to live through. All of you are valuable women, and you deserve all the kindness of the world, because you are going through a very important gynecological cancer diagnosis.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
That’s very well said.
Dr Andreina Fernandes
And, don’t be afraid to go to the doctor’s. It’s important to receive an early diagnosis, because you have more opportunity to receive the proper treatment, the proper counseling. Don’t be afraid.
I think a great idea is to write all the questions in a notebook to not forget any questions, and have the confidence to talk with your doctor, with the team that are treating you.
Ask everything you want, because you deserve these answers.
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
Is there anything else you would like to say to our audience?
Dr Andreina Fernandes
I want to invite you to join the World GO Day campaign. It’s really a beautiful experience. We share live experiences with the patients, with the doctors. Everyone is welcome to join the campaign and learn more about gynecological cancers! And always wear purple!
World Gynecologic Oncology Day
It’s been a pleasure to talk with you and learn more about what challenges are being faced and what work you are doing in Venezuela and with the journal.
Dr Andreina Fernandes
I really love to talk about gynecological cancer and HPV. This is my favorite topic!