The Cancer Advances Podcast welcomes back Nathan Mesko, MD, Vice Chair of Global Clinical Operations for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Center Director for Musculoskeletal Oncology at Cleveland Clinic to talk about chemotherapy, limb salvage surgery and how 3D printed custom implants are reshaping outcomes in osteosarcoma. Dr. Mesko also shares a remarkable pediatric case whose complex reconstruction highlights the power of multidisciplinary care, surgical innovation and long term functional recovery.

Bethany Samuelson Bannow, MD, Director of Classical Hematology at Cleveland Clinic, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to discuss the evolving field of classical hematology and what it means for managing complex non-malignant blood diseases. Listen as she covers emerging gene therapies, bispecific antibodies, cancer-associated thrombosis, and practical referral guidance for conditions like ITP, TTP, and sickle cell disease.

Julie Lang, MD, Breast Surgical Oncologist, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to discuss advancing care for patients with inflammatory breast cancer. Listen as Dr. Lang outlines key clinical features that distinguish IBC from infection, evidence-based sequencing of neoadjuvant therapy, surgery and radiation, and highlights emerging tools and translational research efforts aimed at improving outcomes in this aggressive subtype.

Associate Staff and Physician Scientist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, Richa Sharma, MD, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to discuss the launch of a National DNA Repair and Telomere Biology Disorder Tumor Board. Listen as Dr. Sharma explains the cancer predisposition associated with these rare inherited disorders, the challenges of treating malignancy in patients with impaired DNA repair, and how a multidisciplinary, national tumor board can help clinicians navigate complex treatment decisions and toxicity risks.

Radiation Oncologist and Physician Scientist Jacob Scott, MD, DPhil, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to discuss how chemograms may change the way oncologists select chemotherapy using transcriptomic data and predictive modeling. Listen as Dr. Scott shares how this approach applies the logic of an antibiogram to cancer care, ranks cytotoxic therapies based on tumor sensitivity, and supports more personalized treatment decisions for patients.

Medical Director of the Women's Comprehensive Health and Research Center and Professor of OB/GYN and Reproductive Biology, Pelin Batur, MD, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to discuss updated guidance on contraceptive care during and after cancer. Listen as Dr. Batur breaks down the latest multidisciplinary recommendations, reviews cancer-specific risks and misconceptions around hormonal contraception, and explains how shared decision-making can help prevent unintended pregnancy, reduce harm, and improve long-term survivorship care.

Mohammad Dwidar, PhD, Assistant Staff in the Lerner Research Institute and Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to discuss the emerging role of engineered bacteria in cancer treatment. Listen as Dr. Dwidar explores the history of bacteria-based immunotherapy, strategies to enhance tumor specificity and safety, and how targeting tumor metabolites like kynurenine could open new therapeutic avenues across solid tumors.

Jaroslaw P. Maciejewski, MD, PhD, Chair of the Translational Hematology and Oncology Research Department at Cleveland Clinic, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to take a deeper look at inborn errors of immunity and their role in clonal T-cell expansion and large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia. Listen as Dr. Maciejewski explains how subtle immune deficiencies may drive disease, what this means for diagnosis and treatment, and how these insights could reshape how clinicians think about immune-mediated bone marrow failure.

Paula Escobar, MD, a Breast Surgical Oncologist at Cleveland Clinic, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to provide an inside look into endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy. Listen as Dr. Escobar breaks down how the procedure works, who is an ideal candidate and what this approach could mean for cosmetic outcomes, recovery, and the future standard of care.

Radiation Oncologist and Co-Director of the Genitourinary Program, Shalini Moningi, MD, joins the Cancer Advances podcast to discuss the latest advances in radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Listen as Dr. Moningi talks about SBRT, adaptive radiation, emerging biomarker data, and how these innovations are reshaping treatment selection, toxicity profiles, and patient's quality of life.