Breastcancer.org Podcast

At the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022, Dr. Rugo presented results from the TROPiCS-02 trial, which was looking to see if the targeted therapy Trodelvy could offer more benefits for people diagnosed with previously treated, metastatic, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer than chemotherapy. Currently, Trodelvy is approved to treat previously-treated, metastati...

At the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022, Dr. Naoto Ueno presented patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes from the DESTINY-Breast04 study, which found that compared to doctors’ choice of chemotherapy, Enhertu (chemical name: fam-trastuzumab-deruxtecan-nxki) improved both progression-free survival and overall survival in people diagnosed with previously treated metastatic HER2-...

We know that many people with breast cancer find that pets offer comfort and companionship and help them better cope with all the emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Steven Feldman joined us to talk about the mental health benefits pets can provide people with cancer, as well as things to think about if you’re considering adopting a pet. Listen to the episode to hear Steve ta...

Being diagnosed with breast cancer can be scary, upsetting, and traumatic for the person diagnosed, as well as their family members. Many people could benefit from counseling and therapy, but don’t know what services are available or how to find them. Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Ross explain: how therapy or counseling can help people diagnosed with breast cancer how to find a therapist that’...

If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer before menopause, some of your treatments, including chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, can bring on menopause earlier and more abruptly than expected, causing hot flashes and night sweats. For some women, these symptoms can be severe and dramatically affect their quality of life.  In search of relief, some women consider hormone replacement therapy (HRT...

At the recent 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, researchers presented results showing Enhertu (chemical name: fam-trastuzumab-deruxtecan-nxki), which is a type of medicine doctors call an antibody-drug conjugate, improved both progression-free survival and overall survival in people diagnosed with previously treated metastatic HER2-low breast cancer. Listen to the podcast...

If you’re being treated for breast cancer, you may be considered immunocompromised, meaning your immune system isn’t functioning at its full capacity. As mask mandates are being dropped and other COVID-19 restrictions are loosening, many immunocompromised people feel left behind and are worried that other people’s eagerness to get back to quote “normal” may make them sick. Listen to the episode to...

If you’ve been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, your doctor may have talked to you about genomic testing. You also may have heard about genetic testing. The names sound similar, but the tests are very different. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Wojciechowski explain: how the tests are used and how they’re done for whom the tests are recommended how the tests are different how he talks to...

Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Barrett talk about: why diversity in in clinical trials is so important what the Just Ask program is and how it works reactions to the program her recommendations for people who want to be part of a clinical trial

In this episode, four very different people explain their diagnoses and how they approached dating after breast cancer: Shawn is a nurse who lives in Kentucky and has had two breast cancer diagnoses. Suzette Brown is a stand-up comedian and founder of NYLaughs, a non-profit that produces free comedy events in public spaces to inspire audiences, enrich the lives of New Yorkers, and connect people t...

Dr. Rebecca Johnson is a pediatric oncologist/hematologist at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. She specializes in treating childhood blood disorders and cancer in kids, teens, and young adults. While at Seattle Children’s Hospital, she founded the adolescent and young adult oncology program and is now building a similar program at Mary Bridge.  Dr. Johnson was diagnosed with...

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 r...

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 o...

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, ho...

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 her Dr. Connor explain: how much alcohol affects breast cancer risk why alcohol as a bre...

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. Wo...

Dr. Gabriel Hortobagyi is professor of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is a past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is one of the world’s leading authorities on breast cancer treatment. He has published more than 1,000 papers in peer-reviewed journals. At the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2021, Dr. Hortobagyi...

Dr. Hope Rugo is professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology at the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she is also the director of breast oncology and clinical trials education. Dr. Rugo is also a member of the Breastcancer.org Professional Advisory Board. She is a principal investigator of a number of clinical trials...

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 over...

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 specs on a mammogram. In some cases, this can lead to more tests to rule out breast cancer. Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Summer...

Dr. Peter Schmid is chair in cancer medicine at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University London and also serves as clinical director of the Breast Cancer Centre at the St. Bartholomew Cancer Centre and honorary consultant medical oncologist at Barts Hospital. His research focuses on breast cancer, cancer immune therapy, and early drug development. At the European Society for Medical Oncology...

Dr. Monique Gary is a board-certified, fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist and medical director of the Grand View Health-Penn Cancer Network Cancer Program in Sellersville, Penn., where she also serves as director of the Breast Program. As a physician, advocate, and expert on health and healthcare disparities, she is passionate about developing integrative, holistic, and innovative appro...

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 also vice president of clinical research. The 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting was held virtually June 4-8, and there were a number of studies on breast cancer presented. Dr. Litton joined us to t...

Saundra Pelletier is the CEO and founder of Evofem Biosciences. Saundra was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer while her company was conducting phase III clinical trials on Phexxi, a nonhormonal contraceptive gel for women. She describes herself as a mother, daughter, CEO, and trailblazer. She has more than two decades of experience of executive leadership at companies and nonprofits focusing...

Brian Wojciechowski, M.D., 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. One...