Breastcancer.org Podcast

Dr. Sara Tolaney is chief of the Division of Breast Oncology and associate director of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as well as associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. The 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium featured four days of presentations on the latest research on breast cancer. Dr. Tolaney joined us to discuss the research that is most immediately applicable to people who’ve been diagnosed with the disease. Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Tolaney explain: results of an early study looking at how effective the experimental medicine datopotamab deruxtecan was in treating metastatic, triple-negative breast cancer a study comparing Enhertu (chemical name: fam-trastuzumab-deruxtecan-nxki) to Kadcyla (chemical name: T-DM1 or ad-trastuzumab emtansine) for metastatic, HER2-positive breast cancer that had spread to the brain the studies that she thinks are practice-changing Running time: 10:00

Dr. Jeremy Braybrooke is a consultant medical oncologist and clinical lead for oncology at University Hospitals Bristol, as well as a senior clinical research fellow at the University of Oxford. Rosie Bradley is a medical statistician in the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford. At the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Rosie presented the results of their meta-analysis of four studies looking at effectiveness of aromatase inhibitors compared to tamoxifen in pre-menopausal women diagnosed with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive disease. Listen to the episode to hear them explain: the results of the study, showing that an aromatase inhibitor and ovarian suppression reduced recurrence risk more than tamoxifen, but didn’t lead to better overall survival the side effects of aromatase inhibitors and tamoxifen how Dr. Braybrooke is advising his pre-menopausal patients diagnosed with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive disease Running time: 14:19

Dr. Aditya Bardia is associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the breast cancer research program at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. At the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, he presented results from the EMERALD trial, comparing the experimental medicine elacestrant to the standard of care for post-menopausal women diagnosed with metastatic, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that has grown during treatment with hormonal therapy. That standard of care is either Faslodex or an aromatase inhibitor. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Bardia explain: how elacestrant works the results of the EMERALD study what the results mean for post-menopausal women and men diagnosed with metastatic, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that has grown while being treated with hormonal therapy Running time: 12:58

Dr. Avonne Connor is assistant professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University. Much of Dr. Connor’s research focuses on cancer health disparities in women, especially cancer risk factors that people have some control over, such as drinking alcohol, weight, exercise, and smoking. Listen to the episode to Dr. Connor explain: how much alcohol affects breast cancer risk why alcohol as a breast cancer risk factor is so emotional why binge drinking is so harmful why drinking during treatment isn’t a good idea steps people can take if they want to reduce or quit drinking Running time: 24:45

Dr. Susan Summerton is associate professor of clinical radiology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Summerton joined us to talk about an issue that many people are unaware of: Ink from tattoos on the upper body migrating to the lymph nodes and showing up as white specks on a mammogram. In some cases, this can lead to more tests to rule out breast cancer. Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Summerton explain: how tattoo ink ends up in the underarm lymph nodes how often this happens how often tattoo ink leads to more testing what women with tattoos who are getting regular mammograms should know Running time: 15:26Thank you for listening to the Breastcancer.org Podcast. Please subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To share your thoughts about this or any episode, leave feedback on the podcast episode landing page on our website.

Dr. Jennifer Litton is a board-certified medical oncologist and professor of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where she is chief of the Section of Clinical Research and Drug Development for Breast Cancer. She also is a member of the Breast Immuno-Oncology Task Force of the National Cancer Institute. At the American Association for Cancer Research virtual annual meeting, Dr. Litton presented results from the EMBRACA trial, looking at using Talzenna (chemical name: talazoparib), a type of medicine called a PARP inhibited, to treat advanced-stage HER2-negative breast cancer in people with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. She joins us today to talk about the results, especially the patient-reported outcomes, which showed that people treated with Talzenna had better quality of life than people treated with chemotherapy. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Litton explain: what a PARP inhibitor is and how it works how quality of life was better for people treated with Talzenna compared to chemotherapy why she thinks Talzenna is a good treatment option for people diagnosed with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer who also have a BRCA1 or a BRCA2 mutation Running time: 14:04Thank you for listening to the Breastcancer.org podcast. Please subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To share your thoughts about this or any episode, leave feedback on the podcast episode landing page on our website.

In this Breastcancer.org podcast, Diana Dyer, R.D. talks about how to eat healthy before, during and after the holidays. Diana is a registered dietitian and multiple-time cancer survivor. She is the author of the book A Dietitian’s Cancer Story and writes the blog DianaDyer.com, where she shares her thoughts about life as a cancer survivor, food and nutrition, growing food, recipes, and our environment. Diana also is a member of the Breastcancer.org Professional Advisory Board.Listen to the podcast to hear Diana talk about: strategies for coping with the snack table at holiday parties how to be festive and alcohol-free tips for eating if you’re undergoing chemo during the holidays ideas for making traditional family dishes healthier Running time: 24:12These podcasts, along with all the other vital content and community support at Breastcancer.org, only exist because of the generous donations of listeners like you. Please visit Breastcancer.org/support to learn how you can help keep our services free for you and the millions of women who depend on us.

Michael Kovarik is a retired elementary school teacher who is living with metastatic breast cancer. He is the author of “Healing Within: My Journey with Breast Cancer” and the former host of the Healing Journeys with Michael Kovarik radio show. He was also one of the people profiled in Breast Cancer: A Story Half Told, a campaign to increase public awareness of metastatic breast cancer. Since his metastatic diagnosis, Michael participates in a number of advocacy organizations, including the Male Breast Cancer Coalition, the MBC Alliance, and METAvivor. Sadly, Michael passed away from metastatic breast cancer in September 2021. We are forever grateful he was a part of the Breastcancer.org community. Listen to the podcast to hear Michael talk about: the importance of the doctor-patient relationship the importance of a support system deciding not to let fear run his life becoming an advocate and sharing his story how being stage IV has helped him live his truth Running time: 1:01:12

Tim Watkins is the owner of the Watkins Garden Center and also is the partner of Michael Kovarik, a man with metastatic breast cancer. Tim and Michael became a couple after Michael had been diagnosed with breast cancer, but before he had been diagnosed with metastatic disease. Sadly, Michael passed away from metastatic breast cancer in September 2021. We are forever grateful he was a part of the Breastcancer.org community. Listen to the podcast to hear Tim talk about: what it's like to date someone with breast cancer how Tim's role as caregiver changed when Michael was diagnosed with metastatic disease the advice he would offer to people who are cancer caregivers Running time: 15:07

Dr. Brian Wojciechowski practices medical oncology in Delaware County, Pennsylvania at Riddle, Taylor, and Crozer hospitals and also serves as Breastcancer.org's medical adviser. A native of South Philadelphia, he trained at Temple University School of Medicine and Lankenau Medical Center. Dr. Wojciechowski is a sought-after speaker on the topics of medical ethics and the biology of cancer. Dr. Wojciechowski joined us to talk about some of the most notable research at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2021. Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Wojciechowski explain: what an antibody-drug conjugate is results from the DESTINY-Breast03 study, showing Enhertu more than doubled the 12-month progression-free survival rate compared to Kadcyla in people diagnosed with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer that had been previously treated results from the BrighTNess study, showing adding carboplatin to chemotherapy before surgery improves progression-free survival. Running time: 14:09

Dr. Stephen Johnston is professor of breast cancer medicine and consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research in London. At the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2020, Dr. Johnston presented results from the monarchE trial. This study compared treating people diagnosed with early-stage hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with a high risk of recurrence with either standard hormonal therapy after surgery or two years of Verzenio (chemical name: abemaciclib) in addition to standard hormonal therapy. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Johnston explain: the characteristics that make early-stage hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer have a high risk of recurrence an overview of the study and its early results side effects caused by Verzenio seen in the study the future of using Verzenio to treat early-stage hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with a high risk of recurrence Running time: 27:08Thank you for listening to the Breastcancer.org podcast. Please subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To share your thoughts about this or any episode, leave feedback on the podcast episode landing page on our website.

Dr. Lola Fayanju is the Helen O. Dickens Presidential Associate Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also chief of breast surgery at Penn Medicine, as well as surgical director of the Rena Rowan Breast Center. Her research focuses on health disparities, aggressive breast cancer variants, and improving value in oncology. Studies show that overall participation in cancer clinical trials is low, and participation by people of color is even lower. This is thought to be part of the reason that minority women — especially Black women — have worse breast cancer outcomes than white women. One strategy to help reduce disparities in breast cancer outcomes is to make clinical trials more diverse. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Fayanju explain: why diversity in clinical trials is important some of the barriers that keep people of color from enrolling in clinical trials and how they can be overcome how she talks to all her patients about clinical trials Running time: 31:11Thank you for listening to the Breastcancer.org Podcast. Please subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To share your thoughts about this or any episode, leave feedback on the podcast episode landing page on our website.

Dana Donofree is a designer and founder of AnaOno. After being diagnosed with stage I estrogen-receptor-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer almost 10 years ago at the age of 27, Dana began to design her first pieces to meet her need for sexy, beautiful lingerie during a recovery period that she calls “anything but sexy and beautiful.” She has made it her mission to design lingerie specifically for women who have had breast surgery, breast reconstruction, or are living with other conditions that cause pain because she believes that they shouldn't have to compromise between comfort and beauty. On February 9, for the fourth year in a row, AnaOno is partnering with #Cancerland to put on a fashion show during New York Fashion Week to raise funds for METAvivor. All the models in the show are women who have been touched in some way by breast cancer or its risk — from previvors to people with early-stage disease to people with stage IV disease — to start new conversations between all these groups. Listen to the podcast to hear Dana talk about: her diagnosis and treatment and how it inspired her to start AnaOno where the AnaOno name came from the show during Fashion Week and what she hopes to accomplish with it her tips for someone who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer Running time: 29:32Thank you for listening to the Breastcancer.org podcast. Please subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To share your thoughts about this or any episode, leave feedback on the podcast episode landing page on our website.

Because Valentine’s Day is in February, many people start thinking about romance, love, and sex — and their satisfaction with what they have. The February 2014 Breastcancer.org podcast features Lynn Wang, M.D., female sexual medicine specialist for the Main Line Health System and member of the Breastcancer.org Professional Advisory Board. She is a board-certified gynecologist and American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists-certified counselor and educator. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Wang discuss: different models of female sexual response the biological, psychological, social, and relationship reasons why libido may be reduced how a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can affect libido and sexual satisfaction who to talk to if you’re having sexual problems Running time: 29:54 These podcasts, along with all the other vital content and community support at Breastcancer.org, only exist because of the generous donations of listeners like you. Please visit Breastcancer.org/support to learn how you can help keep our services free for you and the millions of women who depend on us.

In this podcast, Brian Wojciechowski, M.D., Breastcancer.org medical adviser, discusses some of the research that was published in July 2014. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Wojciechowski talk about: why treating inflammatory breast cancer with three treatments — chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation — improves survival compared to using only one or two of these treatments the reasons why having more moles is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, though moles themselves DO NOT cause breast cancer research showing that women with an abnormal BRCA1 gene — but not an abnormal BRCA2 gene — diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to survive if they have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed a study that found combining 3-D mammograms (digital tomosynthesis) and digital mammograms find more breast cancers with fewer false positives Running time: 20:50These podcasts, along with all the other vital content and community support at Breastcancer.org, only exist because of the generous donations of listeners like you. Please visit Breastcancer.org/support to learn how you can help keep our services free for you and the millions of women who depend on us.