Vicky Phelan receiving half-dose of cancer treatment drug to avoid 'big side effect'

The cervical cancer campaigner also encouraged women to enter politics and said she would consider a political career if her cancer treatment goes well

Vicky Phelan providing an update on social media following her fourth round of cancer treatment in Maryland. Picture: Instagram.

Vicky Phelan has undergone her fourth round of pioneering cancer treatment in the US and said her medication has been adjusted to reduce her risk of experiencing side effects.

Phelan, who travelled to Maryland in January to take part in an immunotherapy trial, said she is now receiving half the amount of one drug that previously caused extreme nausea, making her “violently sick” last month.

“The treatment went really well, I just had one drug today,” she said on Instagram. “The approval has come through to my doctor so I can get a reduced dose of the main drug because one of the big side effects that he’s worried about with me, because of all the radiation I’ve had to my pelvis, is bleeding from my bladder or through my back passage. He’s already had a number of patients on this drug who have had a lot of pelvic radiation, so it is a big issue and he doesn’t want me to stop and come off the drug. 

She said she was going to spend some time relaxing this week to allow her body to recover.

“I’m always tired after treatment so I’ll listen to my body and give in to it. I have a quiet week ahead because I don’t plan on doing a huge amount on the week I have treatment. 

I want to give my body the best possible chance of recovering and for this treatment to work on my tumours, which is what I’m here for.

Phelan said she was “really busy, but in a good way” this week as she took part in a number of International Women’s Day events, including an Irish Examiner lunchtime event on Monday where she was in conversation with Feelgood editor, Irene Feighan. 

She said she loves International Women’s Day and always tries to highlight women’s achievements and needs on that day each year.

“I think it’s so important to mark International Women’s Day and to mark the achievements and what we need to do to get better, for women to make more strides in the workplace, at home. I think the pandemic has really highlighted the huge burden of care that has landed on women’s laps again. It’s women, in the main, that are at home, homeschooling their children as well as trying to work from home and it’s women who are the primary carers for older relatives or young children with special needs. The pandemic has really highlighted all of these issues and brought them out into stark relief.” 

She encouraged women to start a career in politics after the pandemic to improve conditions for women in Ireland. She said if her treatment goes well she would consider entering political life.

"We need more female politicians than ever to try and balance the inequality and injustices that are happening to women all over our country.

“If you have any inclination to go into politics. If I wasn’t terminally ill I would probably do it myself. You’d never know, if I get good results from this treatment and get another few years, I would certainly like to become more involved on a permanent level but for the moment I’ll do my advocacy and campaigning work on the outside.”