Breastcancer.org Podcast

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Sexual Health, Intimacy, and Metastatic Disease: Reclaiming Your Sexual Self Feb 14, 2017

Show notes

Sage Bolte is executive director of Life With Cancer and also serves as associate director of psychosocial program for the Inova Health System. She is an internationally recognized educator and speaker on sexual health, intimacy, and relationships among people diagnosed with cancer and other chronic diseases. She conducts lectures, workshops, and training to both patient and healthcare professional groups on the topic of the sexual self and cancer survivorship. Her goal is to help empower patients to reclaim their sexual selves in spite of the many physical and emotional changes they may experience from their cancer diagnosis and to help healthcare professionals feel more comfortable and knowledgeable to assess and address the sexual health needs of their patients.

Listen to the podcast to hear Sage talk about:

how women diagnosed with metastatic disease can redefine sexual health so they’re fulfilled and satisfied
tips for women who are having vaginal pain/dryness, including stretching and strengthening exercises
why it’s important to remember libido starts in the brain, not necessarily the body
how to start a conversation with a partner about what is pleasurable right now and how what’s desired may change

Quality of Life With Metastatic Disease -- Heard in the Halls: Voices From the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Jan 05, 2017

Show notes

Leah Eshraghi, director of clinical research at the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, discusses the poster she presented on quality of life and disease collateral damage in women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

Radiation Effects on Reconstruction -- Heard in the Halls: Voices From the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Jan 05, 2017

Show notes

Breastcancer.org Chief Medical Officer and Founder Marisa Weiss, M.D. talks how radiation therapy can affect different types of breast reconstruction.

Overcoming Hormonal Therapy Side Effects -- Heard in the Halls: Voices From the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Jan 05, 2017

Show notes

Breastcancer.org Chief Medical Officer and Founder Marisa Weiss, M.D. talks about the importance of sticking with a hormonal therapy treatment plan and ways to deal with any side effects.

Scalp Cooling -- Heard in the Halls: Voices From the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Jan 05, 2017

Show notes

Breastcancer.org Chief Medical Officer and Founder Marisa Weiss, M.D. offers her take on a new device that may help women keep quite a bit of their hair during chemotherapy.

Experimental Buparlisib Offers Benefits, But Side Effects Too Toxic: 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Jan 04, 2017

Show notes

The experimental medicine buparlisib helps treat metastatic hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that has been treated with an aromatase inhibitor, but grew after being treated with Afinitor (chemical name: everolimus) and Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane). In this podcast from the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Ruth O'Regan, M.D., professor of hematology and oncology at the University of Wisconsin and one of the researchers who did the phase III BELLE-3 trial, discusses the results of the study and explains why the mechanics of how buparlisib work are promising, even if buparlisib probably isn't the right medicine to treat breast cancer.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. O'Regan talk about:

how buparlisib works
why inhibiting the PI3 kinase pathway may help treat metastatic, hormone-receptor-positive disease that has stopped responding to hormonal therapy
buparlisib's unacceptable side effects
how she plans to talk to her patients about buparlisib

Does 2.5 to 5 More Years of an Aromatase Inhibitor Offer Benefits? Maybe, For Some Women: 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Dec 20, 2016

Show notes

In 2012, research results showed that taking the hormonal therapy tamoxifen for 10 years instead of 5 offered more benefits for women diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, including less recurrence and better overall survival. Since that time, researchers have wondered if extending the time a woman with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive disease took an aromatase inhibitor would offer similar benefits.

In this podcast from the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Terry Mamounas, M.D., M.P.H., medical director of the University of Florida Health Cancer Center, discusses the results of his and other studies looking at whether 2.5 to 5 additional years of Femara (chemical name: letrozole) after 5 years of an aromatase inhibitor offered better survival or lowered the number of recurrences.

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

the very specific group of women that may benefit from an additional 2.5 to 5 years of an aromatase inhibitor
which women should not take an additional 2.5 to 5 years of an aromatase inhibitor
how women and their doctors can weigh the benefits and potential risks of extended aromatase inhibitor treatment
how he plans to talk to his patients about this issue

Liquid Tumor Biopsies -- Heard in the Halls: Voices From the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Dec 16, 2016

Show notes

"An exciting but early time."

Oncologist Philomena McAndrew talks about the exciting, but still early research on what's called by a variety of names: liquid tumor biopsies, circulating tumor cells, and cell free DNA and what the development of these tests might mean for patients in the future.

Male Breast Cancer Advocacy -- Heard in the Halls: Voices From the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Dec 15, 2016

Show notes

"I've been on a roll of male breast cancer advocacy."

Breast cancer survivor Michael Singer was staffing the Male Breast Cancer Coalition booth at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. In this mini podcast, he talks about his diagnosis and how he works to raise awareness that men can be breast cancer patients, too.

Men Have Breasts, Too: Diagnosed With Male Breast Cancer Nov 15, 2016

Show notes

In August 2016, Stephen Sala found a small lump on the right side of his chest. His doctor thought it was a cyst, but scheduled an ultrasound to be sure. His ultrasound results were concerning, so he had a mammogram the same day, followed a needle biopsy about a week later. The results showed breast cancer. He was 41. He decided to have a bilateral mastectomy to reduce his risk of contralateral disease; pathology results showed that he had cancer in his left chest as well. As he went through diagnosis and treatment, Steve experienced a number of awkward situations. Almost all mammography offices are in women’s health care centers, with no consideration for men. Forms asked when he had his last period, how many children he had given birth to, and if he was in menopause.

Listen to the podcast to hear Stephen talk about:

how he came to terms with a breast cancer diagnosis
his ideas on how the process can be made less clumsy for men
how he talked to his children about his diagnosis
how he found support
advice he would offer other men

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