Breastcancer.org Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Diet, Obesity, and Breast Cancer Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

Tracy Crane is a registered dietitian and senior research specialist at the University of Arizona Zuckerman College of Public Health. Her research focuses on diet, specifically studying diet quality and cancer risk. Tracy also has more than 15 years’ experience developing nutrition plans for cancer survivors, many of them breast cancer survivors.

Listen to the podcast to hear Tracy discuss:

why obesity is linked to higher breast cancer risk
the new U.S. Department of Agriculture 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and what they mean for women who’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as women who want to keep their risk of the disease as low as it can be
how to make lasting changes to your diet
styles of eating that can keep your risk of breast cancer or breast cancer recurrence as low as it can be

Supporting a Partner With Breast Cancer Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

Courtney Bitz is a licensed clinical social worker who heads the Couples Coping with Cancer Together program for City of Hope, a comprehensive cancer center in Duarte, Calif. When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, research has shown that having a supportive partner is one of the most important factors in helping her cope. But partners may struggle with knowing what to say or how best to support a loved one. The only program of its kind, Couples Coping with Cancer Together helps women and their partners identify problems that are most important to them as part of their overall medical care.

Listen to the podcast to hear Courtney discuss:

how the Couples Coping with Cancer Together program works
specific examples of how a woman can ask for and get the support she needs
the different ways women and men cope with stress and how each can understand the other better
common requests that women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer ask of their partners

To help our visitors, Courtney provided the Partners’ Guide to Managing the Challenges of Breast Cancer (download the PDF). It offers tips on what partners can do to help a woman who’s been diagnosed, as well as tips for what diagnosed women can do to get the best support from their partners and other loved ones.

Does Chemotherapy Increase the Risk of Common Infections? Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

In this Breastcancer.org podcast, Brian Wojciechowski, M.D., Breastcancer.org’s medical adviser, explains a study published in January 2016 suggesting that chemotherapy for breast cancer may increase the risk of common infections.

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

how the immune system works
how chemotherapy affects the immune system
when women who will be undergoing chemotherapy should get vaccines
steps you can take to support your immune system

Genetics, Genetic Testing, and Breast Cancer: Part 1 Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

Cristina Nixon is a licensed certified genetic counselor with the Cancer Risk Assessment and Genetics Program at Main Line Health in Pennsylvania. In addition to counseling patients, she also assists with research, including, most recently, a study looking at multi-gene panels in BRCA1/BRCA2 positive families. Cristina also has completed the City of Hope’s intensive course in cancer risk assessment.

This is part one of three-part podcast on genetics and breast cancer with Cristina.

Listen to this podcast to hear her explain:

the difference between a genetic abnormality and a genetic mutation
what the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes do in the body and why having a mutation in one of them increases the risk of breast cancer
other genes besides the BRCA genes that are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer
other types of cancer that are linked to a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation

Listen to part 2 of the series.

Listen to part 3 of the series.

Genetics, Genetic Testing, and Breast Cancer: Part 2 Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

Cristina Nixon is a licensed certified genetic counselor with the Cancer Risk Assessment and Genetics Program at Main Line Health in Pennsylvania. In addition to counseling patients, she also assists with research, including most recently a study looking at multi-gene panels in BRCA1/BRCA2-positive families. Cristina also has completed the City of Hope’s intensive course in cancer risk assessment.

This is part two of three-part podcast on genetics and breast cancer with Cristina.

Listen to this podcast to hear her explain:

the factors that would recommend genetic testing for a particular woman
whether DCIS is considered differently than invasive cancer when recommending genetic testing
the process of genetic testing
when genetic testing wouldn’t be recommended for a woman diagnosed with breast cancer

Listen to part 1 of the series.

Listen to part 3 of the series.

Genetics, Genetic Testing, and Breast Cancer: Part 3 Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

Cristina Nixon is a licensed certified genetic counselor with the Cancer Risk Assessment and Genetics Program at Main Line Health in Pennsylvania. In addition to counseling patients, she also assists with research, including most recently a study looking at multi-gene panels in BRCA1/BRCA2-positive families. Cristina also has completed the City of Hope’s intensive course in cancer risk assessment.

This is part three of three-part podcast on genetics and breast cancer with Cristina.

Listen to this podcast to hear her explain:

how a woman could use an online risk assessment tool
the factors the different tools consider
why it’s important that a woman use a risk assessment tool with her doctor or a licensed genetic counselor
what the results from direct-to-consumer testing companies such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com contain

Listen to part 1 of the series.

Listen to part 2 of the series.

Prophylactic Surgery for Women at High Risk: Part 1 Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Alan Stolier is a surgeon at the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in New Orleans. He has more than 35 years of experience in surgical oncology. He specializes in the surgical treatment of breast cancer and is a pioneer in the development of nipple-sparing mastectomy. Dr. Stolier also focuses on breast cancer genetics and the associated care of women who have a BRCA gene mutation.

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

how much each type of prophylactic surgery (breast, ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus) can reduce risk
who is most likely to benefit from prophylactic surgery
women who shouldn’t consider prophylactic surgery
whether there is an optimal age for prophylactic surgery

Listen to part 2 of the series.

Prophylactic Surgery for Women at High Risk: Part 2 Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

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

the timing of prophylactic surgery
other genetic mutations besides BRCA1 or BRCA2 that might make a woman consider prophylactic surgery
the type of screening program recommended for a woman who’s had prophylactic surgery
how often cancer is found during prophylactic surgery

Listen to part 1 of the series.

Stories of Genetic Testing, Prophylactic Surgery, and Reconstruction: Lorell Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

Lorell Hornbrook has a strong family history of breast cancer: Both her older sister and her father were diagnosed with breast cancer. Her father died at age 75 from treatment complications, a year after he was diagnosed. In 2014, at age 48, Lorell decided to have genetic testing to see if she had a gene mutation that dramatically increased her risk for breast cancer. When her test results came back positive for a BRCA2 mutation, Lorell had already decided what she would do: a double prophylactic mastectomy and reconstruction using tissue from her tummy area.

Lorell is one of three women whose stories are featured in the Breastcancer.org video series on genetic testing, prophylactic surgery, and reconstruction.

Listen to the podcast to hear Lorell talk about:

why she never hesitated about participating in the videos
the type of research she did after she got her genetic test results
how she prepared herself for surgery
the advice she would give to women in a similar situation

Stories of Genetic Testing, Prophylactic Surgery, and Reconstruction: Kerry Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

Kerry Osmond was 10 when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990. When it became available, genetic testing for a mutation that raises the risk of breast cancer was strongly recommended for Kerry’s mom — in 2010 her mother tested positive for a BRCA2 mutation. Kerry knew that meant she had a 50-50 chance of having the same mutation. In 2012, she decided to have genetic testing and learned that she, too, had a BRCA2 mutation. She decided to have a double prophylactic mastectomy and reconstruction using tissue from her hip area.

Kerry is one of three women whose stories are featured in the Breastcancer.org video series on genetic testing, prophylactic surgery, and reconstruction. Kerry’s younger sister, Mandi, also tested positive for a BRCA2 mutation and is also in the video series.

Listen to the podcast to hear Kerry talk about:

how her family uses their experience to help others
how she connected with women who had similar surgeries on the Breastcancer.org discussion boards
how sharing her story in the video was healing in a way
why talking to other women who had already had prophylactic surgery was encouraging

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