Our MBC Life

Have you ever wondered how our cancer metastasizes? Why is it that some treatments just don’t work? Can we as patients living with MBC alter cellular level activity? In this episode, you will hear the answers to these questions and more. Join us as we take a step back to the basics of tumor microenvironment with our guest, Dr. Amy Beumer, who will break down the science to smaller, digestible bites. In this lively discussion, Dr. Amy explains the how and the why of this tough topic. You will hear her say “This is fun” and use engaging, relatable metaphors like “Picture your neighborhood and that one neighbor…..” By the end, I assure you that you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of tumor microenvironment than when you started. Pull up a chair, listen in your car or on your daily walk, we are with you wherever you listen to your podcasts. Terms and other resources are provided in the episode notes on the episode web page, www.ourmbclife.org/episodes/tumor-microenvironment-dr-beumer.

Each October, Our MBC Life marks Breast Cancer Awareness month with a special episode dedicated to all those who died from metastatic breast cancer over the past year. To live with your own diagnosis or to be a loved one, caregiver, or friend of someone with MBC is to inhabit a community of loss. Every day, we confront the reality of mortality and struggle to balance fear with hope, and sorrow with joy. “We Remember” is OMBCL’s opportunity to give voice to the profound grief we share and to honor and celebrate each person we’ve lost. It’s a chance to express our gratitude for the extraordinary and unique ways they made our lives richer and our often collective grief over their loss. We invite you to bear witness with us to this outpouring of love for those lost to MBC over the last year. Above all, may you find the space and tools to tend to your grief as you continue to love and honor those lost.

In this episode, Senior Producer and Host Martha Carlson embraces the hope that we can do something to help our closest relatives avoid metastatic breast cancer and even early-stage breast cancer. Despite living with no known inheritable mutation associated with breast cancer risk, Martha has MBC and her Mom recently died of the same disease. Now, her 20-something oldest child has discovered an additional factor that puts her at increased risk. Listen along as they discuss risk reduction and what steps have been recommended, followed by an informative interview with Dr. Sagar Sardesai of Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is the Co-Director of OSU High Risk Breast Clinic, along with Dr. Doreen Agnese, where they see people of all ages who are at elevated risk for breast cancer, whether due to known or unknown inheritable factors, family history, previous treatments, and more. We talk about what it means to live with high risk, the options for monitoring, when and how to begin, and why it matters. It’s another great episode from OMBCL, and we hope you learn a lot.

On today's episode, we are thrilled to discuss an important and often misunderstood area of oncology: Biosimilars and their increasing use in cancer care. You might be curious, what exactly are biosimilars? How are they developed and approved? And most importantly, how are they transforming the lives of patients diagnosed with cancer? We will break down these questions and more with an overview from Dr. Julie Gralow, a breast medical oncologist and chief medical officer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

For our Season 9 opening episode, we're learning about agnostic treatments in cancer with Dr. Richard Schilsky of ASCO, who discusses the TAPUR Study. You may wonder, what is TAPUR and how does it relate to agnostic treatments? The pioneer behind the study, Dr. Schilsky, explains clinical trials for agnostic therapeutics, how you can join a TAPUR trial, and what to expect.

Tumor-agnostic therapies represent a radical shift in oncology. They abandon the traditional way of treating tumors based on cancer type and, instead, provide personalized options based on the genetic mutations. Today’s podcast is the 1st part of a 2-part series dedicated to agnostic treatments in cancer. Join us as Dr. Joshua Drago of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center shares his expertise about the agnostic approach to cancer care. In this episode he discusses agnostic research and points out the advantages as well as the treatment limitations of agnostic therapeutics.

The TAPUR Study uses precision medicine to test off-label treatments for different types of cancers. To match a patient to a treatment option, the study doctor uses genomic testing to identify gene alterations. The data from the study will help doctors and researchers figure out what medications can be used to treat certain cancers.

Today, we’re bringing you a very special episode created in partnership with SHARE Cancer Support. This is an audio version of our Webinar Report Back from ASCO 2024: Latest Updates on Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). We're excited to present this report from the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting, highlighting the latest advancements and research in hormone receptor positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer. In today's episode, you will hear from Dr. Kevin Kalinsky, a medical oncologist and investigator from Emory. We will dive deep into the findings from the DESTINY-Breast06 trial and the postMONARCH trial. We'll explore the implications of these studies, how they could impact treatment strategies, and what this means for us.

Research has shown that self-advocates are more likely to receive better care and have their medical questions and problems addressed. We're excited to bring you this episode, focusing on a crucial aspect of managing metastatic breast cancer—understanding blood test results. Blood tests are vital in cancer care, offering insights into our health, monitoring treatment effectiveness, and guiding our medical team's decisions. However, interpreting these results can be challenging. Joining us today is Dr. Alfredo Torres, who will help us break down the common types of blood tests, explain what the numbers mean, and discuss their impact on your treatment plan. Knowing how to interpret these results can empower you to advocate for yourself more effectively and enhance your overall care. Whether you're newly diagnosed or have been living with metastatic breast cancer for some time, this episode aims to empower you with valuable knowledge. Grab a cup of our favorite beverage and get comfortable as we dive into the mysteries of blood test results together.

There’s a lot of research about how diet and exercise can have a positive effect on survivorship for those with early-stage breast cancer, but what about those of us with MBC? In this episode, we are delighted to bring you a conversation with Dr. Neil Iyengar, a prominent oncologist and researcher known for his deep interest in how lifestyle affects a variety of outcomes. Emerging research and patient experiences are showing that exercise and diet can play a vital role in improving quality of life and may even enhance treatment outcomes. We discuss the science behind diet and exercise along with strategies for balancing lifestyle changes while prioritizing what matters most to us. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, or a healthcare professional, this episode is packed with valuable information and insights!

In the third of our special series on living with bone metastases, we are turning to one of the most frequent questions and concerns we hear: Can I exercise?? To get the answers, OMBCL co-hosts Ashley Fernandez and Martha Carlson spoke with Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, who has led the way in understanding and implementing exercise for people with breast cancer, including those of us with metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Schmitz founded the Moving Through Cancer initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, which has a bold goal of making exercise standard of care in oncology by 2029. She fills us in on the science of exercise – why it’s important and how it can be done with bone metastases. In this interview, she provides straightforward advice about what can be done, what to watch for, and connects us to resources that can help you get started after getting the okay from your oncologist. Interspersed into the interview with Dr. Schmitz are the stories of people living with bone metastases, providing hope and inspiration that exercise is possible. We reached out to the incredible Facebook community called Active with MBC, a private group for people who already exercise and stay active and those who aspire to it. Many thanks to the women who responded to our survey with honesty and insight and to Angel, Quinn, and Glenda, who joined us with interviews and sent videos to inspire us. This episode is close to the hearts for all of us at OMBCL, whether living with bone mets ourselves or not. We have all witnessed how this particular type of progression can be both invisible and life-changing. We hope that you feel supported and seen. And know that whether you simply walk to the mailbox or run a marathon, we are with you! Check out our website for detailed show notes and links to some great online resources on exercise/fitness!

In this second of three episodes on managing bone metastases in MBC, we bring you a broad review of the major interventions to treat and manage bone mets. We explain the differences among the specialties of Radiology (think x-rays and PET/CT scans) vs. Radiation Oncology (external beam, Stereotactic Radiation Surgery (SRS) or Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) and Interventional Radiology (Biopsies, Cryoablation, Radiofrequency Ablation among others). The majority of patients with MBC have bone metastases and may have been treated with some form of radiation. For patients with "oligometastatic" disease, where the number of distant sites of metastatic spread is generally considered to be 5 or less, radiation treatment may be “curative”. It gets a little less clear in those of us with heavier tumor burden and more widespread disease. In that case, radiation is often offered for pain and neurologic considerations, such as preventing a tumor from pressing on the spinal cord, possibly resulting in serious spinal cord compression. But, can different radiation strategies be helpful in disease management, beyond pain management? We ask these questions of both experts here – the first Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Associate Director of the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City. Our second expert clinician is Dr. Rory Goodwin, who leads the Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis in Durham, North Carolina. He’ll talk about this innovative Center’s approach to managing bone mets, including offering some lesser-known treatment approaches like Cryoablation (freezing the tumor), and Radiofrequency Ablation (heating the tumor). We also address an emerging therapy called “Theranostics” which is when a radioactive tracer (like the ones used in PET/CT scans) is bound to a radiation treatment that can deliver a lethal dose directly to the bound cancer cell. So listen here and learn with us, and check out the more detailed show notes on our website for the links to what’s covered in the episode.

Today’s episode is the first in a three part series covering all things related to bone metastasis. In our first episode, we’re covering the basics starting with some bone education. We’re joined by Dr. Azeez Farooki, an endocrinologist at MSK, who discusses his role on treatment for bone disease stemming from breast cancer. We’re also joined by Dr. Monica Fornier, a breast medical oncologist also at MSK, who treats people living with metastatic breast cancer. Both doctors will be diving into bone disease & the latest in breast cancer bone metastasis research. Topics include theories on why breast cancer spreads to the bones, as well as the future of bone metastasis research and treatment. We unlock the wisdom of these top experts as they bridge the gaps between advancing research and patient care in a thought provoking conversation.

Even though breast cancer research is comparatively well-funded, researchers still don't fully understand the many different ways metastatic cancer eventually evades currently available treatments. Just like a detective can learn much from studying the scene of a crime, researchers need to understand how breast cancer causes death to better understand how to stop it from doing so. One of the quickest ways for them to do that is through something called a tissue donation program. Many of us are familiar with organ donation programs, but as metastatic patients, we are no longer eligible to donate our organs to another person. We can, however, donate tissue while we're still alive and tissues, including organs, soon after we die to aid thousands of future patients by helping researchers better understand the process of metastasis. Understanding the way cancer evades current treatments is key to developing more effective and more targeted treatments that let us live longer (and with a better quality of life) with the hope that one day we can stop MBC from prematurely ending our lives. To learn more about tissue donation programs and why they are so essential to scientific discoveries, we talk with patient advocates, Stephanie Walker and Christine Hodgdon, along with breast cancer researcher Dr. Steffi Oesterreich and clinical coordinator Lori Miller about the topic of tissue donation in general and the specific program they're all involved with called Hope for Others at the University of Pittsburgh.

Did you know that in the US rural communities have lower cancer rates but higher death rates from cancer? Did you know that only 3% of medical oncologists practice in rural communities? When it comes to cancer, living in a rural area puts people at a disadvantage. They face limited access to quality healthcare, long travel times, and low recruitment to clinical trials, all of which affect quality of care and health outcomes. Join our producers Stephanie Walker and Martha Carlson, along with their guests, in the deep dive into this important topic.

The landscape of medication to treat ER+, HER2 negative or low is changing rapidly as patients experience progression on CDK4/6 inhibitors and look for next steps. Now that biomarker testing is more readily available (both tissue and liquid), there are more options particularly in the PI3 kinase pathway. In this episode we will discuss biomarker testing, the PI3 kinase pathway, and an exciting new patient initiative, the PIK3CA Pathbreakers.

Today we are bringing you a special episode that we created in partnership with SHARE Cancer Support. It’s an audio version of a live webinar that was done this past February called Report back from San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2023. SABCS is the world’s leading breast cancer research meeting where scientists, patient advocates, and others dedicated to working in the field of cancer gather. In this podcast, Dr. Timothy Pluard, director of the Saint Luke’s Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer, breaks down the promising research, targeted therapy, the evolving treatment after CDK 4/6 inhibitors, liquid biopsy and more.

We wanted to start this season with an episode dedicated to our friend and team member, Natalia Green. Natalia passed away from MBC at the age of 39 on November 29, 2023. She was an integral part of the podcast team, having been a senior producer/host and right-hand woman to Lisa Laudico, our founder. She became involved in the podcast through her advocacy work, starting first after her early-stage breast cancer diagnosis, then becoming more involved in the metastatic breast cancer community after she received her MBC diagnosis. She was a devoted mother to her daughter Rosy and son Iggy, and a loving wife and friend to her husband of 19 years, Danny. She was a daughter, a mother, and a cousin, holding a special place in the lives of everyone she met. Lastly, she was our friend. We’ll miss hearing her speak with passion about topics she wanted to cover on the podcast, we’ll miss seeing Iggy & Rosy pop their heads into our Monday meetings, but mostly we’ll miss seeing her beautiful smile. The entire OMBCL podcast team is lovingly dedicating our 8th season to Natalia. We hope it holds a modicum of the impact that Natalia has had on the world. The team would love to extend our heartfelt thanks to Danny Green for all his help in creating this episode. MUSIC CREDITS: -'Meditation I' by Sufjan Stevens -'Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)' by Oscar Isaac and Marcus Mumford

The winter holidays are here, bringing all the joyful festivities with them. I thought this might be a great time to chat a bit about the joy of celebrations - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know many of us right now are scurrying around with the Christmas and New Year holidays at the top of our mind, but today I’d like to spend more of our focus, not only on the typical winter holidays, but on all the myriad of celebrations we encounter in our lives. We will reflect on how we love them, how we dread them and how we can experience joyful celebrations no matter where our lives are at the moment.

For many of us living with MBC, travel provides a much-needed respite from the day-to-day realities of living with our disease. But balancing trips with treatment and side effects can be challenging. In this episode, you'll hear from members of the OMBCL team, along with some remarkable MBC frequent flyers as they share places they’ve been, the places they want to go, and the advice they have for those times when a journey really is a journey. We hope you’ll find inspiration and encouragement for your own adventures! Travel Resources Travel Insurance: Compare products at InsureMyTrip Note: To insure the trip for all reasons, you need to purchase within 14 days of first payment for trip to cover pre-existing condition. Destinations Mentioned by our Guests: Disney locations - check out Disability Access Services, DAS, to “join” a line virtually, allowing you to wait in a comfortable space before getting on the ride. Cruises - Consider taking advantage of a cruise with medical services available Cruise to the Arctic, Svalbard: several lines from Finland, Norway Havasupai Indian Reservation in Arizona Organizations Providing Free Vacations and Retreats for People with Cancer: (Note: most require participants to pay for their own transportation to the location) This is not an exhaustive list! Explore online yourself to see if there is a vacation retreat offered near you or in a destination you are eager to visit. Little Pink Houses of Hope: Week-long beach retreats for people with breast cancer (Mentioned in our podcast) Casting for Recovery: Connects people living with breast cancer with nature through the therapeutic sport of fly fishing Send me on Vacation: Covers hotel/lodgings and some other costs at different destinations including Italian winery, beaches (Mentioned in our podcast) Harmony Hill Healing Retreat: Free 3-day retreats in the Pacific Northwest for people living with cancer and their companions Mary’s Place by the Sea: Free 2-day night and day spa retreats near the beach in Ocean Grove, NJ Live by Living: Free retreats in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado for people with cancer and their care givers Camp Mak-a-Dream: Free retreats in Montana for people with cancer and their caregivers"