Focusing on You: Sylvester Partners with WHO to Eliminate Cervical Cancer
Marilyn Huang, M.D., is a gynecologic oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information about treatments and services for gynecologic cancers, click here.
MEET MARILIS KLEVISHA:
Marilis Klevisha was devastated to learn her cervical cancer had come back.
“They said that they couldn’t do at that point anything else, that I had a prognosis of 18 months,” says Marilis.
She traveled to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center to meet with Marilyn Huang, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist and lead researcher of an investigator initiated clinical trial, using a combination of targeted chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
“She was very depressed; she had a lot of pain. She was fortunate to be able to come to South Florida from New Hampshire to receive her treatment and had a fantastic response,” Dr. Huang says.
At Sylvester, an NCI-designated cancer center, clinical trials in the area of cervical cancer are showing great progress, helping people to live longer and in some cases become cancer free.
“Cervical cancer is preventable. It’s caused by the human papillomavirus, which accounts for more than 95% of cervical cancers. It’s preventable with the use of HPV vaccination,” says Dr. Huang.
Sylvester has partnered with the World Health Organization to eliminate cervical cancer by meeting three key goals by 2030.
“Number one, prevention with the HPV vaccine. Number two, with screening through either a pap smear or HPV swab. And number three, treatment of the cervical cancer,” Dr. Huang says.
Thanks to her treatment, Marilis is cancer free, and was able to dance all night at her daughter’s wedding.
“That was just a miracle, a blessing. They saved my life,” Marilis says.
Video transcript compiled by Janna Ross for ‘Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine,’ a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit UHealth’s YouTube channel.
Tags: cervical cancer, Dr. Marilyn Huang, focusing on you, gynecologic oncologist, HPV, HPV vaccine, human papillomavirus
