Breast Cancer Conversations

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A breast cancer diagnosis brings far more than medical decisions. There are emotional challenges, treatment side effects, financial pressures, questions about clinical trials, and the ongoing need for trusted information and community. Yet many of these needs fall outside the traditional healthcare system.

So who's filling those gaps? And how can we make sure people diagnosed with breast cancer can find the right resources when they need them?

In this special roundtable episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, host Laura Carfang, co-founder and CEO of SurvivingBreastCancer.org, brings together three leaders from national breast cancer nonprofits:

•    Ellen Friebert Schupper, CEO of ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, an organization specializing in personalized, one-to-one emotional support.

•    Kelly Shanahan, MD, President of METAvivor, an organization dedicated to metastatic breast cancer research, advocacy, and community.

•    Sue Weldon, Founder and CEO of Unite for HER, an organization expanding access to integrative therapies and whole-person care.

Together, they explore an important reality: No single organization can meet every need of someone diagnosed with breast cancer.

The conversation moves beyond individual programs to examine the larger ecosystem of breast cancer support, including where patients continue to fall through the cracks and what it will take to build a more connected, accessible, and sustainable system of care.

Kelly shares her experience living with metastatic breast cancer, the urgency of funding research, and why people with advanced disease need better access to clinical trials and specialized care.

Sue discusses the role of integrative oncology in supporting quality of life, why these services remain financially out of reach for many patients, and how partnerships with cancer centers can expand access.

Ellen explains why personalized peer support remains essential and how collaboration between organizations can help people find trusted resources without navigating a fragmented system.

Laura also brings her perspective as both someone diagnosed with breast cancer and a nonprofit CEO, reflecting on the challenges of building sustainable programs, prioritizing limited resources, and addressing needs that traditional cancer care may overlook.

In this episode, we discuss:

•    Why breast cancer care needs to extend beyond medical treatment

•    The importance of peer support, community, and emotional well-being

•    Gaps in access to integrative oncology and supportive care

•    Why metastatic breast cancer research and advocacy remain critical

•    The need for better clinical trial navigation and access to specialists

•    Financial barriers and disparities in breast cancer care

•    How nonprofits, healthcare providers, and industry can work together

•    Why nonprofit collaboration matters more than duplicating services

•    The realities of funding and sustaining patient support programs

•    What the future of breast cancer support could look like

One of the most powerful themes throughout this conversation is that better breast cancer care requires more than better treatments. It requires connecting people to the information, services, and support that make living with and beyond a diagnosis more manageable.

Whether you're newly diagnosed, living with metastatic breast cancer, navigating life after treatment, supporting a loved one, or working in cancer care, this conversation offers a broader perspective on the resources available today—and the work still ahead.

Explore the organizations featured in this episode:

SurvivingBreastCancer.org — https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org

After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) — https://abcdbreastcancersupport.org

METAvivor — https://www.metavivor.org

Unite for HER — https://uniteforher.org

Breast Cancer Conversations is a podcast from SurvivingBreastCancer.org, sharing lived experiences, expert perspectives, and evidence-informed conversations to support people diagnosed with breast cancer and their families.

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Many people turn to CBD hoping for relief from pain, nausea, anxiety, sleep problems, and other side effects of cancer treatment. But CBD isn’t risk-free, and “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean harmless. It can be biologically active, product quality varies widely, and it may interact with medications used during breast cancer treatment.  magic-episode-02

In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, we take an evidence-focused look at CBD and breast cancer: what research currently tells us, where evidence is still limited, and what patients should know before adding CBD to their supportive care routine.

We’re joined by Dr. Shannon Arora and Dr. Priyanka Sharma for a conversation about how CBD works in the body, why people with cancer are using it, and what the evidence shows for symptoms including pain, nausea, anxiety, and sleep. The conversation also explores the important difference between using CBD for supportive care and using it to treat cancer. CBD is not a cancer treatment and should not replace evidence-based breast cancer therapies.  magic-episode-02

One of the most important topics we address is CBD and drug interactions. The discussion explores why CBD may affect the way the body processes certain medications, including tamoxifen and other drugs commonly used in breast cancer care—and why your oncology team needs to know about CBD even if you purchased it over the counter.  magic-episode-02

We also dig into an increasingly confusing CBD marketplace. What’s actually in the product you’re buying? What is the difference between CBD, THC, hemp, and marijuana? How do you evaluate product quality? And what does regulation mean for people trying to make informed decisions about cannabinoid products?  magic-episode-02

In this episode, we discuss:

• What CBD is and how it differs from THC
• Why people with breast cancer are turning to CBD
• What research shows about CBD for pain, nausea, sleep, and anxiety
• Why CBD should be considered supportive care—not a cancer treatment
• Potential interactions between CBD and tamoxifen
• Other cancer medications that may interact with CBD
• Why it’s important to tell your oncology team what you're taking
• Oral versus topical CBD
• How product quality and labeling can vary
• What to look for when evaluating CBD products
• Why evidence matters more than anecdotal advice
• The evolving regulatory landscape surrounding cannabinoids

The biggest takeaway? You don't need to feel embarrassed or judged for asking about CBD. But your care team does need to know.

If you're considering CBD during breast cancer treatment, bring the conversation to your oncologist, pharmacist, or healthcare team. The goal isn't to tell patients simply “yes” or “no”—it's to help you ask better questions and make informed decisions based on your medications, symptoms, and individual health needs.  magic-episode-02

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. CBD can interact with medications. Always talk with your healthcare team before starting, stopping, or changing CBD, cannabis products, supplements, or prescribed medications.

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For many people with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, taking a daily medication like tamoxifen can become part of life for years. But what does it actually feel like to live with the side effects day after day?

In this candid episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura Carfang sits down with Lindsey, who was diagnosed with DCIS at age 37 after finding a lump herself. Following surgery and radiation, Lindsey began taking tamoxifen—and quickly discovered that the experience involved much more than simply taking a pill every morning.

Lindsey shares the difficult fertility conversation she and her husband faced before treatment, why she took a trip before starting tamoxifen, and how she has learned to adjust her expectations of what her body can do.

Laura shares her own experience with endocrine therapy and the complicated emotions that can come with years of treatment—even when you understand why you're taking the medication.

The conversation ultimately becomes about more than tamoxifen. It's about learning to give yourself grace when your body changes, letting go of the expectation that you should simply "go back to normal," and realizing that you still deserve to take up space exactly as you are.

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Your scans came back. The portal posted results before anyone called. There are four appointments on the calendar and a vocabulary nobody taught you — and underneath it all, the feeling that you're already behind.

Dr. Tiffany Troso-Sandoval spent 25 years treating women's breast and gynecologic cancers, much of it at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Her first piece of advice is the one nobody expects: slow down. Breast cancer treatment is urgent, she says, but it is not an emergency. It does not have to be solved in the next thirty-seven seconds — and the decisions you make in a panic are rarely the ones you'd make in a week.

In this conversation with host Laura Carfang, Dr. Troso-Sandoval walks through what to do in the first 48 hours, why breast cancer is not one disease but many, and what she's actually looking at when she reads your pathology report — tumor size, margins, lymph nodes, Ki-67, receptor status — before she ever walks into the room. She explains hormone receptors and HER2 in plain language, why chemotherapy sometimes comes before surgery, and how Oncotype and MammaPrint answer the question so many people are carrying: do I even need chemo?

She's also frank about the parts of oncology that aren't in the guidelines — that she doesn't treat an 84-year-old the same as a 34-year-old with identical pathology, and that treatment plans get built around whether your daughter can drive you. And there's one thing she circles back to make sure it's said out loud: if you're of childbearing age, fertility has to come up at the first visit. Not the third.

🔗 Dr. Tiffany Troso-Sandoval — drtiffanytroso.com
 Her book, Calming the Cancer Chaos: An Oncologist's Guide for Women to Understand, Organize, and Take Control of Their Cancer Care, is out now and includes a free companion workbook.
Disclosure: Dr. Troso-Sandoval discusses her book and private practice in this episode. SurvivingBreastCancer.org received no payment and earns no commission.

💗 About SurvivingBreastCancer.org
 We're a nonprofit providing evidence-based education, emotional support, and well-being resources to everyone touched by breast cancer — at every stage. 400+ programs a year, all virtual and 100% free. https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org

👉 Subscribe for new conversations every week, and share this with someone who needs it.

⚠️ This video is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Dr. Troso-Sandoval is not your physician and cannot advise on individual cases; treatment standards described here are general and evolve rapidly. Please talk with your own oncology team about your diagnosis and treatment plan.

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When Vic Clevenger's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, he and his brother had a thought that many men probably share:

At least we're not women. We don't have to worry about breast cancer.

Years later, Vic learned firsthand just how wrong that assumption can be.

It started with what looked like a stain on his shirt. When Vic realized fluid was coming from his nipple, he initially assumed it was probably a cyst, pimple, or something minor.

His fiancée encouraged him to get it checked.

Even then, Vic says his concerns were initially dismissed because male breast cancer was considered "too rare." But Vic knew something wasn't right and sought another opinion.

A mammogram and biopsy ultimately confirmed breast cancer.

In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Vic joins Laura Carfang for an honest—and often surprisingly funny—conversation about male breast cancer, self-advocacy, genetic testing, masculinity, body image, and learning to live fully after a cancer diagnosis.

Vic shares his experience undergoing a double mastectomy and radiation, taking ongoing hormone therapy, and later discovering that he carries a BRCA2 mutation. His family's genetic testing also challenged another common assumption: hereditary breast cancer risk doesn't only come from your mother's side of the family.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Yes, men can get breast cancer
• The unexpected symptom that led Vic to seek medical care
• Why nipple discharge or other breast changes shouldn't be ignored
• What happened when Vic's concerns were initially dismissed
• Having a mammogram and biopsy as a man
• Vic's experience with a double mastectomy and surgical drains
• Body image and the emotional impact of mastectomy for men
• Using humor to navigate cancer and recovery
• BRCA2 mutations and understanding family history
• Why family history on both sides matters
• The importance of genetic counseling and testing when appropriate
• Fear of recurrence and life after treatment
• Why some men may delay going to the doctor
• How breast cancer organizations can make male patients feel more included
• Why self-advocacy and second opinions can matter
• Vic's perspective on getting a "second lease on life"

Vic also shares an important challenge for healthcare providers and cancer organizations: don't make men hunt for information about male breast cancer.

While male breast cancer is uncommon, the people diagnosed with it deserve information, resources, and support that recognize their experiences.

And Vic's message to other men is one worth sharing:

If you notice something different in your body, don't ignore it. Get it checked. And if you don't feel like your concerns are being taken seriously, keep asking questions.

Because breast cancer isn't exclusively a women's disease.

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What happens emotionally after you've spent months—or years—focused on simply surviving cancer?

Treatment may end. Scans may look good. Life may begin moving forward again. But that doesn't necessarily mean you've processed what happened to you.

In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura Carfang sits down with visual artist, therapeutic arts practitioner, author, and cancer survivor Nerissa Balland for an honest conversation about the emotional aftermath of cancer—and why healing and surviving aren't necessarily the same thing.

Nerissa was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma while five months pregnant and already raising a toddler. After navigating cancer treatment, motherhood, and enormous uncertainty, she began asking a question that would ultimately change the direction of her life:

Was she the only one struggling to recognize the woman she had become after cancer?

That question led Nerissa to interview more than 100 young mothers diagnosed with cancer. Across different diagnoses, backgrounds, treatments, and family circumstances, common themes emerged: identity, grief, anger, isolation, resilience, meaning-making, and the challenge of figuring out who you are after cancer changes your life.

Those conversations eventually became her book, Canvas of Courage.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why surviving cancer and processing cancer are two different experiences
• The emotions that can surface after active treatment ends
• Cancer's impact on identity and sense of self
• Fear of recurrence and the emotional impact of "watch and wait"
• Why you don't have to be an artist to benefit from creativity
• Expressive writing, visual art, photography, movement, and other creative outlets
• How creativity can help when you don't have words for what you're feeling
• Motherhood and parenting through cancer
• The pressure to return to "normal" after treatment
• Finding meaning and purpose after a life-changing diagnosis
• Why emotional healing isn't linear—and doesn't follow a timeline

Laura also shares her own experiences with emotions unexpectedly surfacing after breast cancer treatment and what she learned from breaking a crayon during an expressive arts exercise.

Whether you're newly diagnosed, years beyond treatment, living with ongoing cancer, or supporting someone you love, this conversation offers permission to acknowledge that getting through treatment is only one part of the experience.

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Listen to hear three very different perspectives on what radiation for metastatic breast cancer can really look like and what these women want others to know before starting treatment.

Radiation can play a very different role in metastatic breast cancer than it does in early-stage disease.

It may be used to treat a specific metastatic site, help control cancer in the brain, liver or bones, relieve pain, or—as you'll hear in this episode—become part of a much larger treatment strategy.

In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura is joined by Kacie, Sara, and Joyce, three women living with metastatic breast cancer who have experienced radiation in very different ways.

Sara shares what happened after her breast cancer metastasized to her brain, including surgery, Gamma Knife radiation, being fitted for a radiation mask, hair loss, fatigue, seizures, and the emotional weight of undergoing treatment to the brain.

Casey was diagnosed de novo metastatic with liver metastases and underwent cryoablation and SBRT (stereotactic body radiation therapy) as part of an aggressive treatment approach. She talks candidly about the long-term effects of radiation—including weakened ribs and fractures—as well as the scans that eventually showed her liver metastases disappearing. 

Joyce shares a different side of radiation: palliative radiation for painful bone metastases. She describes how radiation dramatically improved her hip pain, while also discussing gastrointestinal side effects and radiation burns that required additional care. 

Together, their stories offer an honest look at the questions many people have before radiation: What will treatment actually feel like? How do you know if it's working? What side effects might happen? What can make the experience easier? And how do you weigh side effects against the possibility of controlling cancer or improving quality of life?

In this episode, we discuss radiation for metastatic breast cancer, SBRT, Gamma Knife radiation, brain metastases, liver metastases, bone metastases, palliative radiation, radiation masks and claustrophobia, fatigue, skin changes and burns, hair loss, pain relief, scan results, long-term side effects, and quality of life.

Most importantly, this conversation shows why there isn't one universal “radiation experience.” The location being treated, type of radiation, treatment goal, and individual patient all matter.

The experiences shared in this episode are personal and are not a substitute for medical advice. Talk with your oncology and radiation oncology teams about your individual diagnosis and treatment options.

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What if a blood test could detect signs of breast cancer at the molecular level?

Circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA, is generating growing interest among people diagnosed with breast cancer, particularly those wondering about recurrence, treatment response, and what may be happening in the body before something appears on conventional imaging.

One test you may have heard about is Signatera.

In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura Carfang talks with Shannon and Erin, two women with very different breast cancer experiences who both pursued Signatera testing.

Erin was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer before her 35th birthday and began exploring Signatera after completing treatment and wondering how she would know if her cancer returned. Shannon was initially diagnosed with DCIS, later developed invasive disease, and is now living with oligometastatic stage IV breast cancer. Her Signatera results became one piece of a much larger diagnostic and monitoring picture.

Together, they share the questions, emotions, uncertainty, and conversations with their healthcare teams that came with pursuing ctDNA testing.

In this episode:

• What circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is
• What the Signatera test is designed to detect
• Why some breast cancer patients are asking about ctDNA testing
• Erin's experience asking her oncologist for Signatera testing
• Shannon's experience with changing Signatera results
• What can happen when blood test results and imaging don't seem to tell the same story
• Recurrence anxiety and the desire for more information
• Advocating for yourself while still partnering with your medical team
• What it means to live with oligometastatic breast cancer
• The emotional impact of waiting for test results
• The questions that remain as ctDNA testing continues to evolve

This episode isn't about telling you whether you should—or shouldn't—get Signatera. It's an honest conversation about why patients are interested in this technology, what two women experienced when they pursued it, and why understanding both the possibilities and limitations of emerging testing matters.

Important: The experiences shared in this episode are personal stories and should not be interpreted as medical advice. Talk with your oncology team about whether ctDNA testing is appropriate for your individual diagnosis and treatment plan.

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What does life really look like five—or even ten—years after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis?

For many people, the initial diagnosis is filled with uncertainty, fear, and countless unanswered questions. But thanks to advances in treatment, more people are living longer with metastatic breast cancer than ever before, and with that comes an important conversation about what it means to continue living while navigating an incurable disease.

In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, host Laura Carfang is joined by Paula Bouckhuyt and Teresa Noah, two women who share their personal experiences living with metastatic breast cancer for more than five years.

Together, they discuss how life has evolved since diagnosis, the realities of long-term treatment, scan anxiety, relationships, work, disability, palliative care, and finding hope in the midst of uncertainty.

In this episode, we discuss:

•  What it's like living with metastatic breast cancer for five and ten years 
•  How treatment routines become part of everyday life 
•  Scan anxiety and coping with uncertainty 
•  The emotional impact of long-term survivorship with MBC 
•  Living with oral therapies like Xeloda and Ibrance 
•  How relationships change after an MBC diagnosis 
•  Why support groups can make a profound difference 
•  The role of palliative care in improving quality of life 
•  Mental health, resilience, and asking for help 
•  Advice for those newly diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer 

This episode reminds us that while every metastatic breast cancer journey is different, there is no single way to live with this disease. Through honest conversation, Paula and Teresa offer hope, perspective, and practical wisdom for anyone navigating life with MBC.

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Somewhere between the diagnosis and the last appointment, most of us stopped breathing all the way down. Not on purpose. The body braces, the jaw clenches, the shoulders come up — and then treatment ends, everyone tells you congratulations, and nobody mentions that your nervous system never got the memo that the emergency is over.

In this episode, host Laura Carfang sits down with Brett Aldrich — Ayurvedic health counselor, breathwork facilitator, and former social services practitioner specializing in trauma awareness and domestic violence — for a conversation about what it takes to feel safe in your body again after cancer treatment.

Brett talks about the five elements of Ayurveda not as a rulebook but as a way of reading yourself: what you need today may not be what you needed yesterday, and women in particular are changing constantly. She's candid that she doesn't practice it perfectly, that she still drinks coffee, and that "one thing can change everything" — because the alternative, a total lifestyle overhaul on top of everything else you're carrying, is a plan nobody can keep.

Laura brings the questions our community actually asks: what do you do when your digestion has been wrecked by treatment? When your estrogen has been deliberately taken to zero and you're grieving what that costs your bones and your brain? When you're the busy mom with pickup and drop-off and aging parents and a job, and a seven-day retreat is a fantasy? And what about all the supplements on social media promising to cleanse and fix you?

Then the conversation turns to breath — and this is the part worth staying for. Brett explains the mechanics plainly: how a full diaphragmatic breath moves the diaphragm against the organs, how the vagus nerve connects the throat to the heart, lungs, and gut, and why the felt sense of safety is the precondition for everything else. When the body feels safe, there's space to heal.

About the guest:

Brett Aldrich is an Ayurvedic health counselor and breathwork practitioner and facilitator based in Maine. Her background is in yoga and in social services, where she worked in trauma awareness and domestic violence support before moving into holistic and Ayurvedic care. She works with clients in person and virtually through her practice, Seed the Spirit (seedthespirit.com).

Disclosure: Brett offers consultations through her private practice, including a free 20-minute introductory call. SurvivingBreastCancer.org received no payment for this episode.

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