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.
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.
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.
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.
Understanding Progression: How to Identify & Treat ESR1 Mutations in HR+ MBC
Today we are bringing you a special podcast that we created in partnership with SHARE Cancer Support called Understanding Progression: How to Identify and Treat ESR1 Mutations in HR+ MBC. This episode was produced from a live webinar from this past October. There has not been a new endocrine treatment in decades and many of us find out the endocrine treatment no longer works for us because the cancer has mutated. Kate Vieira Pfitzer and Victoria Goldberg are excited to bring Dr. Virginia Kaklamani to you. You will hear her explain this common problem, how to test for it, the new treatment option that is now available as well as many of the ongoing clinical trials for HR+ MBC.
Report Back From ASCO 2023: What’s the Latest News in MBC Research?
Dr. Sherry Shen, breast oncologist from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, breaks down the recent research from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2023 Annual Meeting. She will present new findings in Metastatic Breast Cancer research.
OMBCL Shorts #2: Dr. Erika Hamilton with Top Takeaways from ASCO23
Our second OMBCL Shorts features Dr. Erika Hamilton answering questions about her top takeaways from ASCO23. In this 20-minute interview we covered important updates on the CDK4/6 inhibitors for both early-stage and metastatic breast cancer, as well as research on a new HER3 ADC and the first AKT inhibitor for MBC.
OMBCL Shorts #1: Dr. Stephanie Graff & Her Steps For Those Newly Diagnosed MBC
Our inaugural OMBCL Shorts features Dr. Stephanie Graff talking about what she does when someone is newly diagnosed with MBC. This season, we had a 3-part series for people newly diagnosed and we couldn't resist getting her take on the topic. And we're so glad we asked!
Recent Advances, Controversies, and Emerging Trends in MBC
Over the last 20 years, advances in HER2 targeting treatments, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK4/6is) have prolonged survival and changed the breast cancer treatment landscape. Success leads to more questions about optimal drug sequencing, mechanisms of resistance, and how to overcome that resistance. Let’s ask Dr. Stephanie Graff to help us tackle these topics and more.
2022 in Review: Best in MBC with Dr. Erika Hamilton
Welcome to the first Road to A Cure episode of Season 6. Our guest is the incomparable Dr. Erika Hamilton, a breast oncologist and researcher who, as she says herself, doesn’t shy away from difficult questions. In this episode, we get a review—subtype by subtype—of the biggest news over the past 15 months. Of course, we also talk about what is on the horizon in MBC.
ASCO 2022: When The Dust Settles, What Are My Treatment Options For ER+/HER2- MBC?
Welcome to the second part of our post–2022-ASCO analysis of the state of affairs in the HR-positive MBC. It was not so long ago that our only options were single-agent endocrine therapy and systemic chemo. We have come a long way over the last couple of decades. Today we are asking Drs. Stephanie Graff, Sara Hurvitz, and Kevin Kalinsky to talk about how they make decisions in the clinic in selecting and sequencing treatments, specifically CDK4/6 inhibitors and the newly approved targeted therapies.
RTAC: FES/Cerianna Screening for Estrogen Positive MBC
There’s a FDA- approved diagnostic imaging agent developed to comprehensively evaluate estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) lesions in recurrent or metastatic breast cancer as an adjunct to biopsy. By creating a “whole-body” picture of ER+ lesions, Cerianna may be a helpful diagnostic tool in helping oncologists better determine the most appropriate course of treatment. Learn more in this episode.
ASCO 2022: When the Dust Settles, Will ADCs Change MBC?
While HER2-Low and DESTINY-Breast04 garnered most of the headlines from the ASCO 2022 in June, it was not the only reason for optimism. Our MBC Life takes a deeper dive with Dr. Stephanie Graff and Dr. Hope Rugo in this first episode of our two-part series.
Dr. Shanu Modi: How to Get a Standing Ovation at ASCO?
MSK’s Dr. Shanu Modi, lead investigator on the DESTINY-Breast04 trial, talks with the Our MBC Life team about the trial’s standing ovation at ASCO, how to know if we’re HER2-low, and what this all means for us.
MBC101: The HER2-Low Show
The DESTINY-Breast04 trial at ASCO 2022 introduced many people to the term “HER2-low.” But how do you know if you’re HER2-low? In this episode, with the help a breast pathologist and a clinical oncologist we dive into this subtype and what it means to us.
Report Back from ASCO 2022: What’s the Latest in MBC Research?
The biggest cancer conference in the world, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2022 annual meeting, was back in person after 2 years online during the COVID pandemic. Some of the research highlights presented this year are “practice-changing.” and received a rarely given standing ovation. What is practice changing in MBC? Get the answer to this question and a lot more in the report back from ASCO
Healing our Distress: The Potential of Psilocybin-assisted Therapy
Welcome to our series on the potential of psilocybin-assisted therapy to help us live as well as possible with metastatic breast cancer.
In this first episode, co-host and producer of this series, Dr. Paula Jayne and co-host Lynda Weatherby interview Dr. Boadie Dunlop, Director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at Emory University. Dr Dunlop shares existing and emerging data on how psilocybin may help those of us living with MBC and discusses an upcoming pilot trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy at Emory University’s Palliative and Supportive Care Clinic.
MBC & Parenting Expert Panel
How does one even begin to bring up the topic of metastatic breast cancer to a child? On this third episode of our MBC & Parenting series, we’ll talk to three experts that can give us some insight and guidance on how to talk with our children in the most open and safe ways. First up, Co-host Martha Carlson and Senior Co-host Victoria Goldberg speak with Dr. Leeza Park, psychiatrist, clinical researcher, and Deputy Director for the Comprehensive Cancer Support Program at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. Finally, Senior Co-host and Producer, Lisa Laudico and Co-host Martha Carlson have an illuminating conversation with Morgan Livingstone, Certified Child Life Specialist based in Toronto, Ontario Canada, and Amanda Celeste, Parenting Expert for Project Life, mother, wife, and teacher.
Dr. Nancy Lin: Are CNS Mets Becoming More Treatable? What’s New with STOP-HER2?
Brain metastases are unfortunately an all too common and devastating complication of breast cancer. The blood-brain barrier has long been a key obstacle to developing effective systemic therapies; however, newer agents are showing signs of overcoming this challenge. Dr. Nancy Lin explains.