Smarter Than Cancer

Cancer doesn’t just affect your body. It changes how you think, how you feel, and how you move through the world. In this episode, David sits down with Dr. Megan Pailler, a clinical psychologist at Roswell Park, to talk about the emotional realities of a cancer diagnosis. They explore why fear, grief, and uncertainty aren't problems to solve, but experiences to make room for, and how embracing the...

For patients, becoming cancer-free is the moment they've been hoping for since the day they were diagnosed. The scans are clear, the cancer is gone, and everyone expects life to return to normal. But for many survivors, that's just not how the story goes. In this episode, Hajar explores what it means to live beyond cancer. She looks at the physical and emotional challenges that can linger long aft...

First responders spend their careers running toward danger to protect their communities. The risks they face in the moment are obvious: raging fires, smoke inhalation, collapsing buildings. But another danger has only come into sharper focus in recent years: cancer. Researchers now know that repeated exposure to smoke, toxic chemicals, and contaminated gear can increase cancer risk. In fact, cance...

Nurses are burning out, and not because they can’t handle the job. In this episode, David explores the mounting pressures facing nurses today, from chronic understaffing to a workplace culture that often treats emotional exhaustion as part of the job. With insights from Roswell Park’s Pamela Pichon (MS, BSN, RN) and Amy Gallagher (PsyD, MSHCT, Resiliency Program Leader), we look at what burnout ac...

For many patients, a cancer diagnosis doesn’t just raise medical questions. It raises existential ones, too. Questions about meaning, belief, and what comes next. In this episode, Hajar and David explore the role of faith and spirituality in the cancer journey, and what it looks like to search for comfort, certainty, or understanding when so much feels out of your control. Keep up with all things...

Cancer is, at its core, a disease of genetics, so it’s no surprise it can run in families. As we start to understand these hereditary risk factors, how can we use that knowledge? In this episode, David explores ways that forward-thinking researchers and clinicians are working with families across generations to find and treat cancer and build better treatments for the future. Interested in learnin...

What does it really mean to meet a community where they are? In this episode, David explores the nuances of community outreach in cancer care, and why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always work. Focusing on Indigenous communities in and around Buffalo, they speak with Dr. Rodney Haring and community outreach coordinator Will Maybee about the deep-rooted health disparities facing Native popul...

What if lifesaving cancer screenings could come directly to the people who need them most? In this episode, David and Hajar introduce us to EDDY — a mobile cancer screening unit bringing early detection to communities across Western New York. They talk about why lung cancer screening is so important, the stigma that still surrounds the disease, and how meeting people where they are can make all th...

Cancer is often thought of as a disease of older age. But tens of thousands of people are diagnosed each year in their teens, twenties, and thirties. And for them, this diagnosis arrives right in the middle of building a life. In this episode, Hajar and David explore what it’s like to face cancer as a young adult, when careers are just beginning, relationships are still forming, and questions abou...

We all know that our diet has a huge effect on our health, but in many ways it’s never been harder to know what to do about it. Want to prevent cancer? Or improve your course of treatment? The internet is happy to provide you with an absolute mountain of dubious advice, contradictory claims, and outright snake oil. Thank goodness David found some experts who provide some grounded, proven advice ab...

Cancer doesn’t just take a toll on the body, it can also take a serious toll on a person’s financial life. In this episode, Hajar talks with Tameka Brooks, a financial empowerment coach at Roswell Park, and Dr. Anurag Singh, a radiation oncologist and researcher, about something called financial toxicity , the stress and burden patients experience as a result of the financial impact of cancer. The...

What’s so scary about a bone marrow transplant? Not nearly as much as there used to be. The procedure has changed so much that it isn’t even really a bone marrow transplant any more. Modern stem cell transplants rebuild healthy bone marrow in a way that is safer and more effective than ever before, offering treatment options and paths to remission that would have been unthinkable just a few decade...

Laura Mango is a doctor, but that didn’t make it any easier when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. What it did do is completely change how she sees herself, her work, and her relationship with the people she cares for. In today’s episode, she sits down with David to talk about her parallel journeys as a doctor, a patient, and a mother, and how each has made the others richer and more profound....

Ever wondered what’s actually happening when you get an X-ray, CT, MRI, or ultrasound? In this episode, Hajar dives into the world of medical imaging with Dr. Craig Hendler and Dr. Tom Laudico. They break down how each type of scan works, when and why doctors use them, and the role radiologists play in guiding cancer care. Keep up with all things Smarter Than Cancer and let us know what you think...

We’ve looked at some amazing science on Smarter Than Cancer, but today we’re going to hear about maybe the amazing-est. CAR-T Cell therapy takes a truly outrageous concept — using modified viruses to alter the DNA of white blood cells — and turns it into one of the most promising cancer treatments ever devised.

We all know our immune system fights off colds, flu, and infections. But can it also fight cancer?  In this episode, Hajar explores the groundbreaking world of immunotherapy, from its early experiments in the 1890s to the most modern breakthroughs. Hear from doctors and researchers at Roswell Park as they explain how these treatments train the body’s own defenses to recognize and attack cance...

Hair loss is one of the most visible, and emotional, side effects of cancer treatment. In this episode, David and Hajar explore why something as simple as losing your hair can have such a profound impact on self-image and identity. At Roswell Park’s New Era Cap Foundation Elevate Salon , patients find more than wigs and head coverings—they find compassion, confidence, and a sense of control in a t...

Doctors have relied on medical scans for decades, but what if they could go one step further and actually hold a 3D model of your anatomy in their hands before surgery? In this episode, Hajar talks with Dr. Larson Hsu about how Roswell Park is using advanced imaging and 3D printing to give clinicians a clearer picture of your personalized anatomy, helping them see what scans can’t always show so t...

We all have the feeling that being stressed is bad for our health, but does that have any basis in science? Can our frame of mind really affect the course of a disease like cancer? Dr. Betsy Repasky, a researcher at Roswell Park, sits down with David to talk about how those connections are more real than you might think.   Keep up with all things Smarter Than Cancer and let us know what...

Walking into a hospital can be overwhelming: the smell, the lighting, the stark white walls. But does it have to be that way? In this episode, Hajar explores how thoughtful design, from artwork to furniture materials, can profoundly impact how patients feel and, ultimately, how they heal. Keep up with all things Smarter Than Cancer and let us know what you think of the show at  https://www.ro...

For the series premiere, David dives into the most basic question of all: what is cancer? Turns out it has a lot to do with the fundamental nature of your cells, and not much at all to do with the way we usually think of disease. Keep up with all things Smarter Than Cancer and let us know what you think of the show at https://www.roswellpark.org/smarterthancancer

What’s this new show about? Let’s not be afraid to say it — it’s about cancer. Which also means it’s about science, health, resilience, and the human spirit. Meet your hosts Hajar and David as they introduce  Smarter Than Cancer , a new podcast from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Tune in twice a month to  Smarter Than Cancer . Follow now to join the conversation.