The concept of survivorship is complicated and means different things to different people. Still, in most cases, we’re usually talking about the time after initial treatments for breast cancer are completed. Evelyn Robles-Rodriguez joined us to explain why the term can be controversial, as well as how a survivorship care plan can monitor for late and long-term side effects.

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Joanna Morales and Loriana Hernandez-Aldama talk about the common issues people face when paying for cancer care and offer solutions for them.

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022, Dr. Matthew Goetz presented interim overall survival results from the MONARCH 3 study showing that adding Verzenio to an aromatase inhibitor improves overall survival by 12.6 months for advanced-stage, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022, Dr. Rugo presented results from the TROPiCS-02 trial, which was looking to see if the targeted therapy Trodelvy could offer more benefits for people diagnosed with previously treated, metastatic, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer than chemotherapy. Currently, Trodelvy is approved to treat previously-treated, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022, Dr. Naoto Ueno presented patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes from the DESTINY-Breast04 study, which found that compared to doctors’ choice of chemotherapy, Enhertu (chemical name: fam-trastuzumab-deruxtecan-nxki) improved both progression-free survival and overall survival in people diagnosed with previously treated metastatic HER2-low breast cancer.

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We know that many people with breast cancer find that pets offer comfort and companionship and help them better cope with all the emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Steven Feldman joined us to talk about the mental health benefits pets can provide people with cancer, as well as things to think about if you’re considering adopting a pet.

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Being diagnosed with breast cancer can be scary, upsetting, and traumatic for the person diagnosed, as well as their family members. Many people could benefit from counseling and therapy, but don’t know what services are available or how to find them.

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If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer before menopause, some of your treatments, including chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, can bring on menopause earlier and more abruptly than expected, causing hot flashes and night sweats. For some women, these symptoms can be severe and dramatically affect their quality of life. 

In search of relief, some women consider hormone replacement therapy (HRT). But because HRT contains hormones -- estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progesterone -- which can make breast cells grow, it is not recommended for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Neal-Perry explain:

At the recent 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, researchers presented results showing Enhertu (chemical name: fam-trastuzumab-deruxtecan-nxki), which is a type of medicine doctors call an antibody-drug conjugate, improved both progression-free survival and overall survival in people diagnosed with previously treated metastatic HER2-low breast cancer.

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If you’re being treated for breast cancer, you may be considered immunocompromised, meaning your immune system isn’t functioning at its full capacity. As mask mandates are being dropped and other COVID-19 restrictions are loosening, many immunocompromised people feel left behind and are worried that other people’s eagerness to get back to quote “normal” may make them sick.

Listen to the episode to hear Dr. Wojciechowski explain: