Cancer Rebranded

In this episode we will focus cancer and communications.  Long gone are the days when we whispered the word, "cancer."  But even as people with cancer are more vocal in talking about the challenges they face, the stigmas are still there.  "Cancerspeak" is a foreign language and patients and caregivers can be at a real disadvantage in understanding the complexity of cancer care...

In this episode we will focus on rare cancers.  These are the step children of cancer.  They get fewer dollars for research, patients may have more limited treatment options and the challenges for advocates to raise awareness and build support can be daunting.  Let’s talk about the unique experience of people with rare cancers.  For this episode I am joined by Jim Palma and John Hopper.  Jim and J...

CancerRebranded Episode #3 – BEING QUEER AND HAVING CANCER Hello and welcome to Cancer Rebranded.  I’m Craig Lustig.  In this episode we will focus on the intersection of being LGBTQ and having cancer.  How have the issues and challenges that I faced in 1992 as a late-twenty-something gay man with cancer changed and what are the current challenges? For this episode I am joined by someone who bring...

Hello and welcome to Cancer Rebranded.  I’m Craig Lustig.  This is part 2 of my two-part conversation with Dr. Jonathan Finlay.  When I was diagnosed with a very rare brain cancer in 1992, Dr. Finlay was leading the only US clinical trial for this tumor type.    Jonathan and I had a lengthy, in-depth conversation covering what has changed over 30 years in the treatment of children with brain tumor...

Hello and welcome to Cancer Rebranded.  I’m Craig Lustig.  In this two-part episode I speak with Dr. Jonathan Finlay.  When I was diagnosed with a very rare brain cancer in 1992, Dr. Finlay was leading the only US clinical trial for this tumor type.  The goal of the clinical trial wasn’t to test a new drug, but rather to use chemotherapy in place of radiation.  Radiation to the brain can have a si...

Hello and welcome to Cancer Rebranded.  In 1992, I was diagnosed with brain cancer, a type of brain tumor usually seen in adolescents and young adults.  My name is Craig Lustig and more than 30 years after hearing the words, “you have cancer,” I’m having conversations about what has changed in the cancer experience, what hasn’t and the work ahead.   When I meet newly diagnosed cancer patients, I e...