Pioneering Innovative Solutions for Thyroid Cancer Patients Amid a Pandemic

Announcer:
This is ReachMD, and you’re listening to COVID-19:  On The Frontlines.  Taken from a live webinar sponsored by Penn Medicine, this program features Dr. Lauren Brooks, an endocrinologist at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.  Dr. Brooks talks about some of the challenges she and her colleagues have faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic and their innovative solutions to help ensure the continuation of care for their patients with thyroid cancer.  Let’s hear from her now. 

Dr. Brooks:
During this time, we were all faced with finding workarounds and new ways to do things in an unprecedented situation.  One of the problems we faced is dealing with Prolia, or denosumab.  So, when we take care of thyroid cancer patients over their lifetime, we’re thinking about their bone health always.  So, patients who are treated with thyroid suppression are going to be at increased risk for osteoporosis, and we have several who we treat with denosumab, which is an injection medication delivered once every 6 months.  Unfortunately, one of the limitations with this medication is we really can’t delay or miss a dose because people can have rebound bone loss and vertebral fractures, so we were in a bit of a predicament.  We wanted to treat these patients, but they tend to be our frailer patients who are older who we really want to minimize healthcare contact, so we worked with our rheumatology colleagues here, and we actually developed the drive-up Prolia Injection Clinic.  And we had our patients come several days a month.  They lined up in the parking lot.  Two of our incredible nurses went down, and they treated their patients.  And they were so grateful they got their care, and they had minimal risk. 

Announcer:
That was Dr. Lauren Brooks from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.  To access more episodes from COVID-19:  On The Frontlines and to add your perspectives toward the fight against this global pandemic, visit us at ReachMD.com and Become Part of the Knowledge.  Thank you for listening.