OMBCL Unplugged: When The Words “Chronic” & “Cured” Aren’t So Simple
Welcome to our first "Our MBC Life Unplugged" episode, where we wrap up the fall season with an honest, unscripted conversation. What happens when someone is told they might actually be cured? It’s what we all dream of hearing, but when we started talking, it opened a Pandora’s box of questions and concerns:
Is a cure really possible?
Should I go off treatment?
What if the doctor is wrong and my cancer comes back?
This episode dives deep into these complexities and more. So, grab your favorite beverage and join us for a raw, heartfelt discussion you won’t want to miss.
The Project to End Post Partum Breast Cancer
Many people are unfamiliar with Postpartum Breast Cancer (PPBC), a little-known subset of breast cancer that occurs in women within 10 years of childbirth. This episode of our podcast delves into this personal topic for several members of our team.
Drs. Virginia Borges and Pepper Schedin are launching the first-ever clinical trial to prevent PPBC. Their groundbreaking approach involves giving healthy new mothers a brief course of ibuprofen as they wean their babies from breastfeeding. This trial holds huge potential for global impact, and the doctors need the public’s help to make it happen.
MBC 101: Tumor Microenvironment with Dr. Amy Beumer
Have you ever wondered how our cancer metastasizes? Why is it that some treatments just don’t work? Can we as patients living with MBC alter cellular level activity? In this episode, you will hear the answers to these questions and more. Join us as we take a step back to the basics of tumor microenvironment with our guest, Dr. Amy Beumer, who will break down the science into smaller, digestible bites. In this lively discussion, Dr. Amy explains the how and the why of this tough topic. You will hear her say “This is fun” and use engaging, relatable metaphors like “Picture your neighborhood and that one neighbor…..” By the end, I assure you that you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of tumor microenvironment than when you started.
Pull up a chair, listen in your car, or on your daily walk, we are with you wherever you listen to your podcasts. Terms and other resources are provided in the episode notes.
We Remember
Our annual “We Remember” episode honors all who died from metastatic breast cancer since last October and gives voice to the grief and love that endures after each death. Each name shared is a tiny marker of a full, messy, beloved life and each one leaves behind an expansive network of loved ones. For those of us in the MBC community, the loss of our friends is particularly devastating & the cumulative losses are heavy. You are not alone in your grief. We invite you to bear witness with us to this outpouring of love for those we have lost.
Protecting Our Loved Ones at Risk
Many with metastatic breast cancer fear for their children and siblings: How can we help them avoid the same diagnosis? Are there ways to minimize risk?
In this episode, host Martha Carlson speaks with her eldest child, who’s navigating personal and family risk factors despite no known genetic predispositions. Join us for this powerful and informative episode where we interview Dr. Sagar Sardesai from Ohio State University’s High Risk Breast Clinic.
Biosimilars and Their Use in Cancer Treatment
On today's episode, we are thrilled to discuss an important and often misunderstood area of oncology- biosimilars and their increasing use in cancer care. You might be curious, what exactly are biosimilars? How are they developed and approved? And most importantly, how are they transforming the lives of patients diagnosed with cancer? We will break down these questions and more as we explore this with an overview from Dr. Julie Gralow, a breast medical oncologist and chief medical officer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Tumor-Agnostic Therapies: Is The TAPUR Study Right For You?
For our Season 9 opening episode, we're learning about agnostic treatments in cancer with Dr. Richard Schilsky of ASCO, who discusses the TAPUR Study. You may wonder, what is TAPUR and how does it relate to agnostic treatments? The pioneer behind the study, Dr. Schilsky, explains clinical trials for agnostic therapeutics, how you can join a TAPUR trial, and what to expect.
Tumor-Agnostic Therapies: Is This a Paradigm Shift in Cancer Care?
Do tumor-agnostic therapies represent a radical shift in oncology? Join us on this 1st part of a 2-part series as Dr. Joshua Drago of MSKCC answers this question and points out the advantages as well as the treatment limitations of agnostic therapeutics.
Report Back From ASCO 2024: What’s the Latest in HR+ MBC?
We are thrilled to present an audio version of SHARE Cancer Support’s webinar “Report Back from ASCO 2024: Latest Updates on HR+ Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC)”.
This episode is an in-depth report from the ASCO 2024 Annual Meeting, featuring the latest advancements and research in HR+ MBC. Hear from Dr. Kevin Kalinsky as we dive into the findings from the DESTINY-Breast06 and postMONARCH trials, exploring their implications and potential impact on treatment strategies.
MBC Matters: Understanding Blood Test Results
Blood tests are an essential part of our cancer care. However, interpreting them can often feel like deciphering a foreign language.
Joining us today is Dr. Alfredo Torres and we’ll break down the common types of blood tests, explain what the numbers mean, and discuss how these results impact your treatment plan.
Balancing a Healthy Lifestyle with Eating Chocolate Cake: A Conversation with Dr. Iyengar
There’s a lot of research about how diet and exercise can have a positive effect on survivorship for those with early-stage breast cancer, but about for those of us with MBC? In this episode, we are delighted to bring you a conversation with Dr. Neil Iyengar, a prominent oncologist and researcher known for his deep interest in how lifestyle affects a variety of outcomes. Emerging research and patient experiences are showing that exercise and diet can play a vital role in improving quality of life and may even enhance treatment outcomes. We discuss the science behind diet and exercise along with strategies for balancing lifestyle changes while prioritizing what matters most to us. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, or a healthcare professional, this episode is packed with valuable information and insights!
Your Guide to Bone Mets: Exercise (Yes, Exercise!)
In the third of our special series on living with bone metastases, we are turning to one of the most frequent questions and concerns we hear: Can I exercise??
To get the answers, OMBCL co-hosts Ashley Fernandez & Martha Carlson spoke with Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, who has led the way in understanding and implementing exercise for people with breast cancer, including those of us with metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Schmitz founded the Moving Through Cancer initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, which has a bold goal of making exercise standard of care in oncology by 2029. She fills us in on the science of exercise – why it’s important and how it can be done with bone metastases. Interspersed into the interview with Dr. Schmitz are the stories of people living with bone metastases, providing hope and inspiration that exercise is possible. Be sure to listen to the full episode to get all the suggestions from Dr. Schmitz and hit “Read More” below to go to our episode notes, which link to free videos and other resources.
Your Guide to Bone Mets: Traditional & Innovative Approaches Using Radiation
If you have been diagnosed with MBC bone metastases like the 3 hosts in this episode, this information is for you! Bone Mets are extremely common in MBC. In the first half of the episode, we explain the field of radiation oncology and all it covers, with Dr Kalnicki from Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center in Bronx, NY; in the second half we feature an interview with the leader of the Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis. Duke’s approach to managing bone mets includes a comprehensive team of specialists that offer the traditional and some less commonly seen treatments, like Cryoablation (freezing) and Radiofrequency Ablation (heating) of tumors. We also cover emerging science in bone mets, like “Theranostics” which is having success in prostate cancers and may hold promise for MBC. So listen here and learn with us, and check out our show notes for the links to what’s covered in the episode.
Your Guide to Bone Mets: The Basics
Today’s episode is the first in a three part series covering all things related to bone metastasis. In this episode, we discuss the basics with Dr. Azeez Farooki and Dr. Monica Fornier, both specialists in their fields at MSK, diving into the latest breakthroughs in bone disease and breast cancer research. Topics include theories on why breast cancer spreads to the bones, as well as new drug protocols shaping the future of bone metastasis research and treatment. We unlock the wisdom of these top experts as they bridge the gaps between advancing research and patient care in a thought provoking conversation.
Tissue Donation - You can help advance MBC research
Today we talk with breast cancer researcher Dr. Steffi Oesterreich, clinical coordinator Lori Miller, and MBC advocates Stephanie Walker and Christine Hodgdon to learn more about tissue donation programs and how they can help accelerate scientific research. Tissue donation programs ask patients to consider donating their tissues, including organs, soon after we die to help researchers better understand how breast cancer continues to spread and how to slow it down or stop it altogether. Donating our tissue is one way we can help thousands of other women and men with MBC to live longer with higher quality of life.
MBC Care in the Middle of Nowhere
When it comes to cancer, living in a rural area puts people at a disadvantage. They face limited access to quality healthcare, long travel times, and low recruitment to clinical trials, all of which affect quality of care and health outcomes. Join our producers Stephanie Walker and Martha Carlson, along with their guests, as we deep dive into this important topic.
PI(3)King the Right Target
PI(3)King the right target after CDK4/6 inhibitors fail patients is an exciting area of research and FDA approval. Now that there are multiple options approved by the FDA and more to come, patients have more treatment choices. Join host Abigail Johnston as she interviews 2 patients who give us their perspective on these advances, as well as a doctor whose scientific research has led the way identifying PIK3CA mutations as a cancer genomic biomarker.
Report Back from SABCS 2023: Spotlight on the Latest in MBC
Today we are bringing you a special episode that we created in partnership with SHARE Cancer Support. It’s an audio version of a live webinar that was done this past February called Report Back from San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2023. SABCS is the world’s leading breast cancer research meeting where scientists, patient advocates, and others dedicated to working in the field of cancer gather. In this podcast, Dr. Timothy Pluard highlighted promising research, targeted therapy, the evolving treatment after CDK 4/6 inhibitors, liquid biopsy and more.
Remembering Natalia
We are honored to start this season with an episode dedicated to the wonderful Natalia Green. We’ll be hearing from those who loved her, as well as clips from episodes that she helmed throughout her time with the podcast. We hope once our listeners hear the episode, they’ll get an idea of how special she was, and is, to so many people.
TJT with Dar #4: Finding the Joy in Celebrations
Celebrations of any kind can be tricky when living with MBC. On today's Think Joy Thursday Episode we will reflect on how we love them, how we dread them and how we can experience joyful celebrations no matter where our lives are at the moment.