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In 2006, Nancy Sullivan received some news she wasn’t expecting: she had cervical cancer. She had lost a friend to the disease just months earlier and was understandably scared.
“It was shocking,” Nancy said of her diagnosis.
After surgery, Nancy was referred to Beth Erickson, MD, a Medical College of Wisconsin radiation oncologist who specializes in gynecologic cancers within the Gynecologic Cancer Program. |
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Our gynecologic oncologists are cancer specialists who have additional sub-specialty training in the care and treatment of reproductive cancers. |
A Racine-based registered nurse with 40-plus years of experience, Nancy has worked with many doctors in her lifetime. “Some are very methodical,” she said. “They’re clinically oriented but don’t have an emotional investment in their patients. Others connect with their patients on a personal level.” Dr. Erickson, she said, is one of those who make a connection, not only treating the patient, but easing her through what is often a very stressful process.
 “Dr. Erickson was so comforting and professional,” Nancy said. “She kept reassuring me that I would be OK. It was clear to me that her confidence was based on her knowledge and experience.”
Dr. Erickson reviewed the pathology reports and consulted with other members of the Gynecologic Cancer Program team during the team’s regular tumor board meeting, before discussing an innovative clinical trial with Nancy. The trial, offered at Froedtert & The Medical College through the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, was examining new ways to deliver radiation after gynecologic cancer surgery, with the goal of limiting damage to normal tissues. Patients with gynecologic cancers are particularly susceptible to radiation toxicity, because the female reproductive organs are in close proximity to the bowel and bladder.
“Dr. Erickson gave me all the information and asked if I’d be interested,” Nancy said. “I decided to do it, because I thought it might help other people.”
Dr. Erickson carefully planned Nancy’s treatment using Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). “IMRT takes image guidance a step further,” Dr. Erickson said. “We do the radiation planning using CT images, so we know where the normal organs are in relationship to areas that need radiation; then we also confirm the treatment fields based on daily imaging scans. With IMRT, we use many beams of radiation of different intensities to precisely treat areas that need radiation while avoiding healthy tissues as much as possible.”
Nancy received 28 image-guided external radiation treatments over a six-week period. She experienced some nausea and fatigue during her weeks of radiation, but says that Dr Erickson was always looking out for her. “When I needed anything, I called Dr. Erickson and she immediately took care of it,” Nancy said.
After five and a half weeks of radiation, Nancy returned to Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin for the final portion of her treatment: brachytherapy. Brachytherapy is a highly targeted form of internal radiation. Using image guidance, a radiation oncologist places a special applicator that holds the radiation source directly into the affected area, minimizing exposure of the surrounding tissue.
Although her cancer treatment ended in 2006, Nancy returned to Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin frequently for follow-up care. “For the first couple of years, I saw Dr. Erickson every three months. I got terrific follow-up care as part of the clinical trial,” she said.
Nancy is currently cancer-free. Thanks to her involvement (and that of others), the radiation regimen she received in 2006 is now considered standard post-operative treatment for women with certain types of cervical cancer.
“Clinical trials like mine have made a huge difference in the quality of life of many women,” Nancy said. “I sing the praises of Froedtert & The Medical College everywhere I go. It’s imperative to have trust in your doctor, but Dr. Erickson was so much more. I felt like she was not only my doctor; I felt like she was my friend.”
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