Breastcancer.org Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Breast Cancer Research Highlights -- Heard in the Halls: Voices From ESMO 2019 Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

Anne White, president of Lilly Oncology, discusses some of the most talked about breast cancer research presented at ESMO 2019.

Where Are We With Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer? ESMO 2019 Coverage Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

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 chief of the Section of Clinical Research and Drug Development for Breast Cancer. She also is a member of the Breast Immuno-Oncology Task Force of the National Cancer Institute.

At the European Society for Medical Oncology 2019 Congress, she presented information on a study she's leading, looking at combining a new type of immunotherapy with a traditional chemotherapy medicine. She joined us to talk about current immunotherapy research for breast cancer in general as well as what is specifically being presented at the congress.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Litton discuss:

why immunotherapy medicines to treat breast cancer will likely be used with another type of therapy, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy
the difference between a "hot" and "cold" tumor and why that is important for immunotherapy
other biomarkers besides PD-L1 that may help doctors decided if an immunotherapy medicine will work

"CDK4/6 Inhibitor Plus Hormonal Therapy Should Be First Treatment for Metastatic Hormone-Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer" ESMO 2019 Coverage Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

Dr. Dennis Slamon is professor of medicine and executive vice chair for research for the UCLA Department of Medicine. He also serves as director of clinical/translational research and director of the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. He is probably best known for doing the laboratory and clinical research that led to the development of Herceptin, the first medicine to specifically treat HER2-positive breast cancer. Dr. Slamon has won numerous awards for his research. Earlier this month, he received the 2019 Lasker Award for clinical medical research for his groundbreaking work on Herceptin.

At the European Society for Medical Oncology 2019 Congress, he presented overall survival results from the MONALEESA-3 study, looking at using the CDK4/6 inhibitor Kisqali (chemical name: ribociclib) plus the hormonal therapy Faslodex (chemical name: fulvestrant) to treat advanced-stage, hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Slamon explain:

the background of the MONALEESA-3 study
how much adding Kisqali to Faslodex improved overall survival compared to Faslodex alone
treatment side effects seen in the study
what the results mean for people diagnosed with metastatic hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer

Immunotherapy to Treat Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: ESMO 2019 Coverage Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

Dr. Leisha Emens is professor of medicine in hematology/oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Center. She is also co-leader of the Hillman Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program and director of translational immunotherapy for the Women’s Cancer Research Center. She is internationally recognized for her work in breast cancer immunotherapy.

At the European Society for Medical Oncology 2019 Congress, she presented overall survival results from the KATE2 study, which compared using the combination of Tecentriq, also called atezolizumab, and Kadcyla, also called T-DM1, to Kadcyla alone to treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer that had grown while being treated with Herceptin and chemotherapy.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Emens discuss:

the design of the KATE2 study
why the study is encouraging, even though it didn't meet its primary endpoint
what the results mean for people diagnosed with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer
her advice to people diagnosed with breast cancer who are interested in immunotherapy

Verzenio Plus Faslodex Improves Survival in Metastatic Hormone-Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer, Regardless of Menopausal Status Oct 08, 2019

Show notes

Dr. George Sledge is professor of medicine and head of the Oncology Division at Stanford University. A former president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, he specializes in breast cancer research. He has published extensively on the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and has been honored with numerous awards for his work.

At the European Society for Medical Oncology 2019 Congress, he presented overall survival results from the MONARCH 2 study, which used Verzenio (chemical name: abemaciclib) and Faslodex (chemical name: fulvestrant) to treat metastatic hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that was previously treated with hormonal therapy and had stopped responding. The women in the study were premenopausal, perimenopausal, or postmenopausal.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Sledge explain:

the background of the MONARCH 2 study
how much overall survival was improved the side effects seen in the study
what the results mean for people diagnosed with metastatic hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer

People Satisfied With Decision to Use Scalp Cooling, Even If It's Not Effective -- Heard in the Halls: Voices From ESMO 2019 Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

Dr. Conleth Murphy, an oncologist at Bon Secours Cork Cancer Center in Ireland, discusses his research on scalp cooling in people being treated with chemotherapy for cancer.

The Think Before You Pink Project Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

Karuna Jaggar has been executive director of Breast Cancer Action since 2011 and has a lifelong commitment to social justice. Throughout her 15-year career in nonprofit leadership, her work has focused on women’s rights and on eliminating socioeconomic inequities. Jaggar began her career working with women’s microenterprises internationally and in the United States, providing self-employment and business training, funding and support for low-income women. Prior to joining Breast Cancer Action, Jaggar was executive director at the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment. She has served on the Board of the California Association of Microenterprise Opportunity, where she chaired the Policy Committee. She holds a master’s degree in economic geography from the University of California-Berkeley and received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Smith College.

With Breast Cancer Awareness Month upon us, Karuna joins us to talk about the Think Before You Pink project, including its history and goals.

Listen to the podcast to hear Karuna talk about:

how the Think Before You Pink campaign started
how she defines “pink washing”
reactions to the campaign
four questions Breast Cancer Action asks people to consider before buying anything with a pink ribbon on it

What My Patients Are Asking: Explain the New Breast Cancer Staging Guidelines Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

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.

In 2018, the American Joint Committee on Cancer, commonly called the AJCC, updated breast cancer staging guidelines to add other information to how a cancer’s stage is determined. This has made determining the stage of a breast cancer more complex, but also more accurate.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Wojciechowski explain:

what the T, N, and M parts of the staging system mean
how the new characteristics added to the staging system in 2018 — cancer grade, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, HER2 receptor status, and Oncotype DX Recurrence Score — affect a breast cancer’s stage
how a cancer that might have been stage IIIA in the past might now be stage IB

Breast Implant Illness: What Do We Know Right Now? Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

Dr. Frank DellaCroce, or "Dr. D" as he has come to be known, is a founding partner of the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery and St. Charles Surgical Hospital in New Orleans. Board-certified in plastic surgery, Dr. D has performed thousands of reconstructive procedures, both for women diagnosed with breast cancer and women at high risk of the disease who choose to have prophylactic breast removal. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of numerous professional societies, including the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, and the World Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery. He also has been named one of the “Best Doctors in America.”

In this podcast, Dr. DellaCroce discusses illness linked to breast implants, the Allergan textured implant recall, as well as how he is counseling his patients.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. DellaCroce discuss:

the differences between textured and smooth implants, as well as the differences between silicone-filled and saline-filled implants and the theories as to why textured and silicone implants are linked to disease
what breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma is and how it is treated
what to do if you have an implant and are concerned

What My Patients Are Asking: Can Dog Deworming Medicine Treat Breast Cancer? Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

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.

Blogs and popular media have discussed using fenbendazole (brand names: Panacure, Safe-Guard), a drug used to deworm dogs, to treat cancer. While some studies on cells in petri dishes and in mice suggest that fenbendazole might have anti-cancer properties, no studies have been done in people and it’s not clear what side effects it may cause or what the optimal dose might be.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Wojciechowski talk about:

the type of drug fenbendazole is and how it might kill cancer cells
the studies in petri dishes and mice on fenbendazole that have been done so far
what he tells his patients when they ask about fenbendazole

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