Dr. Stephen Johnston is professor of breast cancer medicine and consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research in London.

At the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2020, Dr. Johnston presented results from the monarchE trial. This study compared treating people diagnosed with early-stage hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with a high risk of recurrence with either standard hormonal therapy after surgery or two years of Verzenio (chemical name: abemaciclib) in addition to standard hormonal therapy.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Johnston explain:

On July 30, 2020, Breastcancer.org hosted a virtual town hall to hear from medical experts and patients about the effect of COVID-19 on breast cancer care. During the town hall, the medical experts answered many questions, but didn’t have time to answer all of them. In this podcast, Breastcancer.org medical adviser Dr. Brian Wojciechowski answers the rest of the questions.

If you’d like more information, visit our special report on COVID-19 and breast cancer care.

Dr. Wojciechowski practices medical oncology in Delaware County, Pennsylvania at Riddle, Taylor, and Crozer hospitals. He trained at Temple University School of Medicine and Lankenau Medical Center. Dr. Wojciechowski is a sought-after speaker on the topics of medical ethics and the biology of cancer.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Wojciechowski explain:

Running time: 21:14

Dr. Lola Fayanju is assistant professor of surgery at the Duke University School of Medicine. In addition to treating people with breast cancer surgery, Dr. Fayanju’s research interests include using big data and sophisticated analyses to reduce disparities in outcomes after breast cancer diagnoses and to improve the value of breast cancer care. When she was a general surgery resident at Washington University in St. Louis, her research found that women treated by safety-net primary care doctors in the greater St. Louis area were more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced-stage breast cancer than women who had private insurance. She also looked at the reasons behind this disparity, and her work led to an overhaul of the referral process for underserved women in the St. Louis area.

In a June 2020 New England Journal of Medicine article, at least two widely used tools estimating breast cancer risk have been found to offer lower risk estimates for women of color.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Fayanju explain:

Running time: 25:12

Dory Ellen Fish is a board-certified, state-licensed acupuncturist with 25 years of experience in 5 Element and Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture. She holds a diplomate in acupuncture from the National Commission for the Certificate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. For the past 15 years, much of her continuing education has been focused on cancer care. She completed the acupuncture course in oncology for cancer patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital and the Oncology Training for Acupuncture course at MD Anderson. Dory Ellen has lectured and taught at various universities, hospitals, and organizations. Her clinical practice is in Bryn Mawr, Penn.

Listen to the podcast to hear Dory Ellen explain:

Running time: 27:38

Dr. Kelly Shanahan is a metastatic patient advocate and METAvivor board member. She had to give up her OB/GYN practice because of side effects from metastatic breast cancer treatment. At the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Dr. Shanahan was one of the moderators of a panel sponsored by Breastcancer.org and Sermonix Pharmaceuticals on the sexual side effects that breast cancer treatment can cause. As a dual citizen of this discussion — she’s both a metastatic patient who has experienced some of these side effects and an OB/GYN who used to treat people for these side effects — she’s uniquely qualified to help us all understand the topic and offer solutions.

Listen to the podcast to here Dr. Shanahan explain:

Running time: 37:20