Live from Stage 4: MBC News for Us, by Us

In this episode of Symptoms Spotlight, hosts Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk take an honest and personal look at one of the most common yet least talked about side effects of metastatic breast cancer treatment: vaginal dryness. Both living with MBC, Abigail and Melanie share what has worked for them, from water-based lubricants and coconut oil to topical lidocaine cream and low-dose estradiol. T...

We've always been told that metastatic breast cancer can't be cured, only managed. But what if that's no longer the whole story? In this episode of Live from Stage 4 , hosts Victoria Goldberg and Dr. Ellen Landsberger sit down with Dr. Lior Braunstein, a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, to talk about the ARCHER trial, a first-of-its-kind clinical study...

Last time, we had a front row seat to a vision. This time, that vision has a launch date. On June 20th, CureWise officially launched, and for every cancer patient who walks into an oncologist's office with ten minutes and no idea what to ask, it couldn't come at a better time. In this episode of Live From Stage 4, Victoria Goldberg sits down with Steve Brown (founder & CEO of CureWis...

The field of hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer is moving faster than ever, and in this episode, we go beyond SERENA-6 to map the full picture of what's changing. Joining hosts Victoria Goldberg and Abigail Johnston is Dr. Sarah Premji, Assistant Director of Breast Cancer Research at Sarah Cannon in Nashville, for a comprehensive deep dive into the new wave of e...

In this episode of the Symptom Spotlight Series, hosts Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk are joined by Dr. Jill Tirabassi, this podcast's team member, to break down neutropenia. It is one of the most common and important side effects of cancer treatment. Dr. Tirabassi explains what neutropenia actually means, why neutrophils matter, and how chemotherapy and CDK 4/6 inhibitors can deprive your...

Two weeks ago, we broke down the ODAC vote on camizestrant and SERENA-6 with seven patient advocates. This week, we go deeper — bringing in the clinical and regulatory perspectives from two of the most qualified voices in the field. We're joined by Dr. Sarah Sammons , newly appointed Co-Leader of Breast Oncology at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and former f...

After recording our earlier Symptoms Spotlight episodes on sleep and constipation, Melanie Sisk comes back with real-life updates that prove these topics hit closer to home than she expected. First, Melanie shares her surprising new diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, discovered thanks to a sharp-eyed friend at a cancer conference. She breaks down the symptoms to watch for, why they're so e...

The ODAC Vote on Camizestrant & SERENA-6: A Patient Advocate Panel Weighs In When the FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 6-3 against recommending approval of camizestrant in the SERENA-6 trial setting, the MBC community had questions and opinions. Host Victoria gathered six of the most informed patient advocates in the metastatic breast cancer space for an unfiltered, expert c...

In this episode of Life from Stage IV , host Victoria Goldberg sits down with Dr. Fátima Cardoso, Breast oncologist and president of the ABC Global Alliance, to unpack a landmark decade of progress — and confront what still needs to change. The ABC Global Alliance's 10-year global report is out, and the findings are both encouraging and sobering. Survival rates have improved. Patient advocacy...

For a long time, the word "cure" and "metastatic breast cancer" didn't belong in the same sentence. That's changing — and nobody is better positioned to explain why than today's guest. Dr. Eric Winer is one of the world's leading breast cancer oncologists and researchers, former president of ASCO, and director of the Yale Cancer Center. In this conversation...

Every year, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) brings together hundreds of people living with metastatic breast cancer for one of the most anticipated events in the MBC community, the Thriving Together MBC Conference. This year marked a milestone: the 20th anniversary. In this episode, the members of the podcast team Abigail Johnston, Dr. Jill Tirabassi, Dr. Ellen Landsberger, and Victoria Goldber...

Hair loss is one of the most emotionally complex side effects of cancer treatment — and in this episode of Symptom Spotlights, Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk are joined by Lisa Backus and Jill Tirabassi for an honest, practical conversation about navigating it. From complete hair loss due to chemotherapy (multiple times) to gradual thinning from hormone therapy and targeted treatment, each woma...

What happens when breast cancer spreads to the brain — and what can actually be done about it? In this episode, host Victoria Goldberg sits down with Dr. Nancy Lin, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and one of the country's leading experts on metastatic breast cancer and brain metastasis. Dr. Lin breaks down the current treatment landscape for all subtypes — HER2+, ER+, and t...

If you've ever heard the words "palliative care" and incorrectly assumed it meant the end was near — this episode is for you. Abigail Johnston and Amy Parliament sit down with Dr. Mary Busowski, a palliative care physician at Orlando Health, to bust one of the most persistent myths in cancer care: that palliative medicine is the same as hospice. Dr. Busowski brings a rare perspectiv...

Living with metastatic breast cancer isn't just about medical treatments—it's a significant time commitment that impacts every aspect of daily life. In this episode of "S**T We Deal With Shorts," Dr. Jill Tirabassi examines a 2025 JAMA Network Open study that quantifies exactly how much time patients with metastatic breast and ovarian cancer spend managing their disease. The re...

What if a misdiagnosis nearly cost you your life—and AI became your second opinion? In this episode, we sit down with Steve Brown, CEO of CureWise, and Lisa Booth, both living with cancer and pioneering the use of AI to navigate their treatment journeys. Steve, a tech veteran, was diagnosed with rare blood cancer in the emergency room after months of missed symptoms. When he fed his medical record...

In one of the most powerful conversations we've ever recorded, Dar Finkelstein—known throughout the metastatic breast cancer community as "The Queen of Joy"—shares her decision to stop treatment and transition to hospice care. After nearly seven years with metastatic breast cancer and 20 years total since her original diagnosis, Dar opens up about the impossible choice many in the M...

Join us for a moving conversation with Gary Thompson, creator of the Team Powdered Donut™️ podcast and advocate for the metastatic breast cancer community. After losing his wife Maureen to stage IV breast cancer in 2014, Gary has dedicated over a decade to cancer advocacy, keeping her memory alive through a simple yet profound tradition—powdered donuts. In this episode, Gary shares the origin of h...

In this  short episode, hosts Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk dive deep into one of the most challenging symptoms cancer patients face: insomnia. Both hosts share their personal struggles with sleep disruption following their cancer diagnoses and explore how the cancer experience—combined with treatment side effects and life changes like menopause—can profoundly impact rest. Abigail and Melanie...

In this powerful episode, Victoria Goldberg sits down with Lesley Stephen MBE, a patient advocate from Edinburgh, Scotland, who has defied all odds living 12 years with stage 4 HER2+ metastatic breast cancer—far beyond her initial prognosis of "a year or two." Lesley shares her remarkable story: from being a busy communication consultant and mother of four who thought she had a simple ch...

In this episode of our Symptoms Spotlight series, hosts Melanie Sisk and Abigail Johnston tackle a topic many cancer patients experience but few feel comfortable discussing—constipation. From understanding what constipation really looks like (hint: it's not always what you think) to practical remedies you can try at home, this episode breaks down the stigma around bowel health. Melanie, a nur...

Join hosts Victoria Goldberg and Dr. Jill Tirabassi for a special episode where they take a break from their usual metastatic breast cancer discussions to dive deep into their latest obsession: the HBO Max series "Heated Rivalry." In this fun and heartfelt conversation, Victoria and Jill explore why this hockey romance has captured their hearts and become the perfect escape during diffic...

In this candid episode of Symptoms Spotlight, hosts Melanie Sisk and Abigail Johnston tackle one of the most disruptive yet often under-discussed side effects of cancer treatment: diarrhea caused by cancer medications. Melanie and Abigail share their personal experiences managing different grades of diarrhea, from mild disruptions to severe grade three episodes that can mean seven to 10 extra bath...

In this episode of our Podcasters Roundtable series, we sit down with Melissa Berry, the voice behind "Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful" and founder of Cancer Fashionista. Before her Stage 1 triple negative breast cancer diagnosis at 42, Melissa was a fashion and beauty publicist working with Vogue editors and celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker. When she couldn't find beauty and f...

Join hosts Melanie Sisk and Abigail Johnston as they shine a light on the real experiences of managing cancer symptoms. In each episode of the Symptoms Spotlight series of short episodes, we explore different symptoms caused by cancer or its treatment, sharing practical insights and hard-won wisdom directly from patients who've been there. This isn't just medical information—it's pe...