#seebothsides

THE OTHER SIDE OF ... CANCER THERAPY

"it felt like, like I had enormous pieces carved out of my tongue"

This is Jill

A few years ago, she was treated for ovarian cancer.

Like half of all treated cancer patients, Jill suffered from oral mucositis, or OM, one of the most common (and most devastating) side effects of chemotherapy.

And yet, there is an effective treatment for OM. Caphosol is a clinical mouthwash that can both prevent the occurrence of OM and reduce its severity in those who develop it. Which means that we can make treatment more bearable.

Barriers to care

The impact of OM is not always recognised by those who treat it. In behavioural terms, although the environment allows for change (what we call 'opportunity'), we are held back by a lack of motivation and possibly even capability (i.e. knowledge and skills).

As a result, patients are forced to suffer in silence. Vital functions like eating, drinking, speaking become unbearable. Which can have a dramatic impact on their 'desire' to continue with treatment. In Jill's words, " When you have a very sore tongue, you just can’t be bothered to eat..."

Drivers of change

On the one hand, we need to educate clinicians, pharmacists and nurses on the impact of OM and, importantly, make them aware of their treatment options. But education alone is not going to be enough.

For true change, we need to first address the lack of motivation for change. We need to shift the beliefs they hold about the impact of both cancer treatment and of OM on the patient. We need to redefine the goals they set for cancer treatment.

And this means creating a window into the patient experience, using their voice throughout all communication.

Welcome to the Caphosol campaign.

Get in touch at [email protected] for unique patients insights that inform strategy.

And at [email protected]  for a creative campaign that truly capitalises on those insights.