Palliative care is often confused with hospice care, but the two are very different. This podcast is the audio from a special Virtual Community Meetup featuring guest moderator Dr. Joe Straton. Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Straton discuss: the issues palliative care addresses the difference between palliative care and hospice care the appropriate time to request palliative care insurance coverage for palliative care ..read more

In late 2019, Meredith’s routine mammogram showed an area of concern. Both her doctor and AI – an artificial intelligence program -- read her mammogram. Her doctor looked at the images and knew she had cancer, while the AI reading wasn’t so clear. Listen to the episode to hear Meredith explain: how AI is taught to read and interpret a mammogram the factors a doctor considers when making a diagnosis versus the factors an AI considers how bias is introduced into AI why she wants a doctor to read her mammogram rather than AI ..read more

At the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting (ASCO) in June, an entire poster session was dedicated to treatment-related side effects. Listen to the episode to hear: Dr. Miriam Klahr discuss links between high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy :42-2:20 Dr. Ana Ferrigno Guajardo explain her study on sexual function in young Mexican women with breast cancer 2:21-4:44 Dr. Mingxiao Yang talk about how acupuncture and yoga may help ease chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy 4:45-5:56 Erin Hong detail the results of a study on the A ..read more

At the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting Fumiko Chino, MD, presented the results of research she conducted with Breastcancer.org on how doctors’ communication skills affected how well breast cancer patients stuck to their treatment plants. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Chino explain: why she wanted to do the study the results how to have good conversations with your doctor ..read more

The 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting featured five days of presentations and educational sessions on all types of cancer. Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky, a board-certified medical oncologist at the Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Paramus, NJ, summarizes the top breast cancer research. Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Teplinsky explain: the DESTINY- Breast06 study on Enhertu compared to chemotherapy for metastatic hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer how circulating tumor DNA may help predict recurrence descalating treatment to reduce the risk ..read more

Black women have a higher risk of developing triple-negative breast cancer at a young age than white women. At the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Dr. Holly Pederson, of the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Elisha Hughes, of Myriad Genetics, presented their research on how a polygenic risk score can help predict the risk of early-onset triple-negative breast cancer in Black women. Listen to the episode to hear Drs. Pederson and Hughes explain: what a polygenic risk score is the results of their research how the results are being used ..read more

There are many reasons women don’t get annual mammograms, including the distance to a mammogram facility, lack of transportation, or not having a primary care doctor.  Licensed, certified genetic counselor Rena Vanzo wants to overcome those barriers. She’s started The Boob Bus, a mobile mammography bus that also offers genetic testing and cosmetic procedures, to make getting a mammogram feel more like going to a spa. Listen to the podcast to hear Rena discuss: how she came up with the idea for The Boob Bus the services offered on The Boob Bus why screening mammograms are so important how ..read more

Pain is a common side effect of breast cancer. The cancer itself may cause pain and nearly all breast cancer treatments may cause some type of pain. If breast cancer is metastatic – meaning it’s spread to parts of the body away from the breast, such as the bones or liver – it may cause pain in those areas. There are many medicines that can ease cancer pain. Opioids are narcotic drugs that are commonly used to treat moderate to severe pain caused by breast cancer or its treatments. While effective, opioids can be habit-forming, which can be a problem for people with a history of addiction. List ..read more

If early-stage breast cancer has a high risk of recurrence – coming back after treatment – nearly all doctors recommend radiation after mastectomy. But when a woman wants to have reconstruction, the timing of radiation after surgery is tricky because radiation can cause changes in the reconstructed breast’s appearance and up the risk of complications, such as delayed healing. So many women have a tissue expander placed during mastectomy surgery and then receive radiation. Once the area has recovered from radiation, reconstruction surgery is done, usually about six or 12 months after radiation ..read more

That being diagnosed with breast cancer is stressful is an understatement. It may be difficult to accept the diagnosis. You may feel overwhelmed by making so many decisions at once: Which doctor should you see? Which treatments should you have? Where should you have treatment? You may have concerns about how you’re going to keep up with your responsibilities at home and at work. At the 2024 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer, Dr. Ginsberg will be discussing the psychological effects of metastatic breast cancer. During this podcast, she talked about tools anyone ..read more