Upon developing metastatic breast cancer 22 years after my primary lesion, I began to research how this delayed invasion of my spine could occur. I learned about dormancy and chose to turn my anger and fear into activism. I would like to become a member of the Alliance as I believe in this organization’s mission to advance research to treat metastatic disease and to advance access to optimal care for all who are living with MBC.
As a physician, it’s not surprising that I’m getting more involved in research advocacy at my treatment institution, MSK. I’ve been a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality and am the MSKCC Patient Advocate representative to the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium. I am a Team Leader with the National Breast Cancer Coalition which advocates for research and funding with the Department of Defense program. My most fun as an advocate living with MBC is my involvement with the Our MBC Life podcast sponsored by SHARE Cancer Support.
Ellen Landsberger, MD
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.
Travel can mean many things - Adventure. Relaxation. Exotic places & cultures, foods & jaw-dropping natural vistas. It can stimulate or soothe us and transport us literally and figuratively to a different reality. It lifts us out of the daily challenges of our diagnosis. It's no wonder so many of us with MBC love to travel and to plan new trips. But traveling with MBC can present a unique set of challenges. In this episode, Nancy Roylance co-hosts with Dr. Ellen Landsberger. She's the perfect partner, a retired MD, and one of the most traveled people we know. So brew yourself a cup of tea., pull up a comfortable chair ,and settle in. You'll hear from several members of the OUR MBC life team as well as other frequent flyers from the larger MBC community. We reflect on where we've been, where we would like to go and offer our advice for when a journey is really a journey.
What is old? What do you call old? Seniors? Elderly? Geriatrics? Older Adults? We have strong opinions about these terms and being included in this group. In general, breast cancer is a disease of aging and more common in older patients. As our population ages, it is becoming increasingly more common, and yet older patients have worse survival from their breast cancers than their younger counterparts at every stage of diagnosis & every subtype. We will ask Dr. Rachel Freedman, medical oncologist from Dana Farber, to explain and discuss what it means to be living & aging with MBC, along with a very special group of women living with MBC.
Endocrine therapy is an effective way to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancers, but de novo and acquired resistance to this treatment remains a major challenge. In this episode, the Our MBC Life team hears from two dynamic MSK oncologists Dr. Pedram Razavi and Dr. Komal Jhaveri on treatment strategies and the latest research around the problem of endocrine resistance.
All of us approach life and death in general from the perspective of our faith traditions, our family cultures, and the traditions and culture we choose as adults.
It is fitting that our 7th and last stop before the SABCS is back to NYC. Co-hosts Lisa Laudico and Ellen Landsberger talk with Dr Sarat Chandarlapaty, a leading Physician Scientist at MSKCC. As both a physician treating patients and a scientist in the lab, Dr. Chandarlapaty gives us an understanding of translational medicine, transferring what he learns from his patients back into the lab to answer questions that advance the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
How famous is Dr Hope Rugo? She belongs to a tiny elite group of oncologists who have their own Wikipedia page. Dr. Dennis Slamon is quite possibly the only other member. Enough said. No surprise that we can’t wait to hear what she has to say about a new class of drugs, known as ADCs and specifically, the first ADC for mTNBC that already has a nickname – Sassy (sacituzumab govitecan). Do you know what a SARM is? It is a special class of drugs for those who are Androgen Receptor (AR) positive. Listen and find out.
Our special series, Road to a Cure, makes its first stop at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, with an interview with Dr. Larry Norton. He is Senior Vice President in the Office of the President, and Deputy Director for Clinical and Translational Science in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Norton’s also the Medical Director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at MSK and a founder of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Senior Producer & Host Lisa Laudico and co-host Dr. Ellen Landsberger speak with Dr. Norton on what he sees happening with Metastatic Breast Cancer research today. They ask him about what lines of research are most exciting to him and also all about how he cares for his own mental health
The podcast team has embarked upon something quite ambitious. The members of the team have traveled virtually to speak with the leading clinicians and researchers in the field of breast cancer, specifically on the topic of where we are in terms of a cure for metastatic breast cancer. It is impossible to cover it in a neat single episode, so, instead, we created a very special series of episodes that we call “Road to A Cure.” In this premiere episode the members of the creative team share with the audience what it means to live with an incurable disease. We talk about a possibility of a cure, address the real fear of hoping, and tackle these and many other important issues.
“I see so much in the metastatic community this idea of just paying it forward, this idea of, yeah, this might not actually help me right now, but I'm still going to bring it up and I'm still going to advocate for it because it will help somebody else.” This is the story about the power of advocacy. Meet some of the individuals and organizations who are advocating for metastatic breast cancer every day wherever the work takes them.
Hosted, Produced, Participated In…
Host
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.