Breastcancer.org Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Stories of Mastectomy and Reconstruction: Peggy Oct 18, 2017

Show notes

A former first grade teacher, Peggy Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2009 after she became concerned about some dimpling in her left breast. She had six rounds of chemotherapy, then a double mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction in May 2010. She then had radiation therapy. After that treatment was completed, she had new implants inserted in December 2010. At that time, nipple reconstruction wasn’t offered to her. In early 2016, at her annual exam with her breast surgeon, the surgeon discovered that one of her implants had ruptured and was leaking. Peggy was told she would have to have her implants replaced yet again. Instead, she decided to have DIEP flap reconstruction as well as nipple reconstruction and nipple tattooing in May 2016.

Peggy is one of three women whose stories are featured in the Breastcancer.org video series on reconstruction after mastectomy.

Listen to the podcast to hear Peggy talk about:

why she decided to have DIEP flap surgery when her implant ruptured
how keeping a journal helped her
how she tries to be a resource for women diagnosed with breast cancer

Stories of Mastectomy and Reconstruction: Mimi Oct 18, 2017

Show notes

Breast cancer was familiar to Mimi, even before she was diagnosed. Her mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer three times. She was treated with a double mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy. Fifteen years later, she is cancer-free. Mimi’s cousin Annette, her best friend, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and passed away from the disease that same year at age 42. Mimi herself was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer in April 2015 at age 45, the same age her mother was first diagnosed. She had a double mastectomy with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction. Later she also had a preventive hysterectomy because the cancer was hormone-receptor-positive. She took tamoxifen and an aromatase inhibitor but has since stopped.

Mimi is one of three women whose stories are featured in the Breastcancer.org video series on reconstruction after mastectomy.

Listen to the podcast to hear Mimi discuss:

how she made her decisions about surgery and reconstruction
the positives she believes breast cancer brought to her life
what she would say to a woman who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer

Metastatic Breast Cancer: Now What? Oct 12, 2017

Show notes

Krista Curley was diagnosed 3 1/2 years ago with estrogen-receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in her lymph system and bones at the age of 39. She had no previous diagnosis of cancer. Since her initial diagnosis, the cancer has spread further into her bones and to her liver, despite surgery, various hormonal therapies, and chemotherapy. Krista lives in Ontario, Canada and is married to Patrick, the love of her life. She is the mother of Ethan, who is 16, and Naomi, who is 10. She has a blog about living with metastatic disease called “Metastatic Breast Cancer: Now What?”

Listen to the podcast to hear Krista talk about:

what writing the blog gives to her
how she and her family find joy and humor in day-to-day life
how she talked to her kids about metastatic disease
the one thing she would tell people about metastatic breast cancer

Nipple Reconstruction Oct 02, 2017

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.”

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. D discuss:

the benefits and risks of nipple reconstruction
the timing of nipple reconstruction
how nipple reconstruction has evolved over the years
how long the procedure takes and what recovery is like

Controlling Pain During and After Breast Cancer Surgery Aug 01, 2017

Show notes

Beth Baughman DuPree performs breast cancer surgery and is vice president at the Holy Redeemer Health System, as well as an adjunct assistant professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a board certified general surgeon specializing in diseases of the breast. She also has obtained dual board certification in integrative and holistic medicine. She has won numerous awards for her medical work as well as her humanitarian endeavors. Dr. DuPree’s skin-sparing mastectomies, performed in conjunction with plastic surgeon Robert Skalicky, were featured live on the Internet; the webcast and subsequent documentary received a Gracie Award.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. DuPree discuss:

the types of medicines used to control pain during breast cancer surgery
non-opioid pain control options for people in recovery or who simply don’t want an opioid
the side effects of pain medications
ways to control pain that don’t involve medication

Living Well With Metastatic Disease: Controlling Fear, Finding Joy Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

Teva Harrison is an artist, writer, and cartoonist who was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer at age 37. She is the author of the bestselling, critically acclaimed graphic memoir, In-Between Days; the book was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction.

Teva is a Canadian Magazine Award and National Magazine Award finalist whose writing and/or comics have appeared in The Walrus, Quill & Quire, Huffington Post, Carte Blanche, The Humber Literary Review, The Globe and Mail, and more. She is a regular commentator on radio, television, and in newspapers, including CBC Radio, the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and The Agenda with Steve Paikin.

Born and raised in rural Oregon, Teva currently lives in Toronto with her husband.

Listen to the podcast to hear Teva talk about:

how she changed her mind about being public about her diagnosis
how she controls her fear and finds joy and beauty in her life
the things she’s saying yes to and how they are making her happy
what leaving a legacy means to her

Personal Finance After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Advice From Suze Orman Jul 10, 2017

Show notes

Suze Orman has been called “a force in the world of personal finance” and a “one-woman financial advice powerhouse” by USA Today. A two-time Emmy Award-winning television host, New York Times mega bestselling author, magazine and online columnist, writer/producer, and one of the top motivational speakers in the world today, Orman is undeniably America’s most recognized expert on personal finance.

Listen to the podcast to hear Suze discuss:

the four documents that EVERYONE should have
what a young parent with metastatic disease can do protect the financial future of her minor children
when to start taking disability or Social Security payments if you’ve been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer
the differences between wills and trusts

New Scalp Cooling System Can Reduce Hair Loss From Chemotherapy: 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Apr 21, 2017

Show notes

Several studies have shown that cooling the scalp to a very low temperature can help reduce hair loss due to chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. In this podcast, Julie Nangia, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, Baylor College of Medicine talks about the study results she presented at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on the Orbis Paxman Hair Loss Prevention System. The study was the first prospective, randomized trial on a scalp cooling system and found that about 50% of the women who used the cooling system kept most of their hair.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Nangia explain:

how the Paxman Hair Loss Preservation System works
how the type of chemotherapy regimen the women were on affected the results
why doing a prospective, randomized trial was important

Editor’s Note: On April 19, 2017, the Paxman Scalp Cooling System received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance. This means the system can be marketed in the United States.

Pausing Hormonal Therapy Treatment to Have a Child: The POSITIVE Trial Apr 06, 2017

Show notes

Ann Partridge, M.D., MPH., is founder and director of the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer and the Adult Survivorship Program, as well as senior physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is a medical oncologist focusing on the care of women with breast cancer and has a particular interest in the psychosocial, behavioral and communication issues in breast cancer care and treatment.

Dr. Partridge is also the lead investigator of the U.S. arm of the POSITIVE trial. This study is looking at whether premenopausal women diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive disease who stop taking hormonal therapy after about 1.5 to 2.5 years of treatment to get pregnant have a higher risk of the breast cancer coming back, which doctors call recurrence. Most women diagnosed with hormone receptor positive disease take hormonal therapy for 5 to 10 years after surgery. In the POSITIVE trial, the women who want to get pregnant are stopping hormonal therapy for up to 2 years to become pregnant, deliver the baby and breastfeed. The women then start hormonal therapy again.

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

why the researchers decided to do this study
the safeguards the study has in place so a developing baby won’t be harmed by the hormonal therapy medicine
other safety concerns associated with stopping hormonal therapy to get pregnant besides recurrence risk

Visit the Fertility and Pregnancy Issues During and After Breast Cancer section for more information on pregnancy after treatment.

Biosimilars: What Are They and What Are Their Advantages? Mar 30, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Philip Lammers, a medical oncologist, is the chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Meharry Medical College and adjunct assistant professor of internal medicine at Vanderbilt University. He has several active research projects on ways to increase minority and underserved population representation in clinical trials. He also studies state-of-the art cancer treatments, including biosimilars.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Lammers explain:

what a biosimilar drug is, as well as the approval process for biosimilars
how we can be sure that biosimilars are as safe as the reference products
the advantages and disadvantages of biosimilars
when we might see biosimilars on the market to treat breast cancer

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