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Welcome to the second part of our post–ASCO  analysis of the state of affairs in hormone receptor-positive MBC. It was not so long ago that the only options for this most common subset of breast cancer were single agent endocrine therapy and systemic chemo. We have come a long way over the last couple of decades. Today we are asking Drs. Stephanie Graff, Sara Hurvitz, and Kevin Kalinsky to talk about how they make decisions in the clinic on how to select and order treatments, specifically CDK4/6 inhibitors and the newly approved targeted therapies. 

Take a listen. It is going to be an exciting discussion.

More info about the show and past episodes is available on our website: www.ourmbclife.org

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We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

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Cerianna is an FDA approved molecular imaging agent that has the ability to tell the doctor the receptor status of all the tumors—essentially creating a “whole-body" picture of estrogen receptor (ER) positive lesions in recurrent or metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The ability of physicians to more precisely “visualize” the disease may be instructive in determining the most appropriate course of treatment. Cerianna is administered as a single intravenous injection, and then imaged using a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan. Cerianna is used as an adjunct to biopsy.

An expert panel of leading healthcare oncology providers and researchers have recently identified a number of potential clinical use cases for Cerianna including: detecting ER+ lesions when considering endocrine therapy for patients at initial diagnosis with MBC or after progression of metastatic disease; and assessing ER status of lesions that are difficult or dangerous to biopsy, when other imaging tests are uncertain or suspicious. or biopsy is non-diagnostic.

Breast Cancer is Personal. Shouldn’t your Diagnostic Imaging Test Be as Well? Listen to the episode for all the most latest clinical updates on Cerianna and check out our episode notes on our website for more information. Our thanks to GE Healthcare for their support of this podcast.

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

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Not only is our Caregivers episode during National Family Caregiver Month, but it’s also our 100th episode! Join us as Our MBC Life salutes all the people in our lives whose love, care, friendship, compassion, humor and resilience brings comfort, meaning and joy into our days. In this episode, three of them share an intimate perspective on what’s it like to be a caregiver.

First, William Roth talks with co-hosts Natalia Green and Ashley Fernandez about his experience as a caregiver for his mother after her MBC diagnosis. Then, Natalia and Ashley connect with Kayla Millett about what it means to, as she puts it, to “choose” to be a caregiver for her wife. Finally, Natalia’s candid conversation with her husband Danny provides a poignant glimpse of how an MBC diagnosis impacts every aspect of their lives together.  

What each of these amazing caregivers have in common is their commitment to meeting the challenges of caregiving head-on, with  grace, courage and love. The Our MBC Life team is grateful for their willingness to be part of this podcast. 

According to the CDC, the need for caregivers is growing along with the aging of the US population. The number of caregivers increased from 43.5 million in 2015 to about 53 million in 2020—or more than one in five Americans. Our podcast sponsor Share Cancer Support provides online resources  and hosts a monthly Zoom support group for caregivers.

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

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While the DESTINY-Breast04 trial, which earned a standing ovation as a practice-changing study for treatment of HER2-low MBC garnered most of the headlines from the ASCO (America Society of Clinical Oncologists) annual meeting in June, it was not the only reason for optimism.  In this episode, the first of a two-part series, Our MBC Life’s Victoria Goldberg and Lynda Weatherby continue to explore what the research shared at ASCO means for us, the patients living with MBC.  

You’ll hear from preeminent oncologists Stephanie Graff, Director of Breast Oncology at the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Brown University  and Hope Rugo (Professor, Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) and Director, Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education, UCSF) in this deep dive into two critical studies: DESTINY-Breast04 and TROPICS-02. The latter examined a potential new line of treatment for heavily pre-treated HR-positive, HER2-negative MBC patients.  

ENHERTU (trastuzumab deruxtecan) and TRODELVY (sacituzumab govitecan), the two drugs at the heart of these two trials, are both representatives of a relatively new class of drugs: Antibody Drug Conjugates—ADCs. ADCs are a class of drugs that links a potent chemotherapy drug with an antibody. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, ADCs are intended to target and kill tumor cells while sparing healthy cells. They are a kind of “smart bomb” for cancer treatment—and an extraordinarily promising development for patients.

Our wide-ranging conversations with Dr. Graff and Dr. Rugo cover not only the results of these two trials, but their implications for treatment and the future of breast cancer research.

More info about the show and past episodes is available on our website: www.ourmbclife.org

Got something to share? Feedback?

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter @ourmbclife

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

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'We Remember' honors all  who died from metastatic breast cancer over the past year—parents, children, spouses and partners. It gives voice to both the grief and the love that endures after each death. 

To live with a metastatic diagnosis or to be a caregiver, friend, or loved one of  someone with MBC is to inhabit a community of loss. Both demand that you confront and live with the reality of mortality, all the while balancing fear with hope, and profound sorrow with joy.

Produced by Natalia Green, this episode includes memories and stories from the Our MBC Life team and our listeners. We want to thank everyone who submitted a name or a remembrance, and to give a special shout out to the members of the Share MBC support group who volunteered to read names.   We’re very grateful to Abigail Johnston, longtime friend of the podcast for her personal reflection on this past year’s losses. Like us, Abigail has been living with MBC and has been since 2017. She's well known for her policy and legislation advocacy in the breast cancer community.

We Remember is dedicated to not only those who died this past year, but also to  the 116 people who continue to die every day from MBC. In fact, thirty percent of early-stage breast cancer patients will eventually develop MBC, which remains a terminal diagnosis. Nevertheless, according to Metavivor.org, only an estimated 2-5% of the funds raised for breast cancer research are spent on studies of MBC. While we honor our community each year by reading the names and sharing the stories of those we’ve lost, we must also honor them by building the awareness,  advocacy, and funding needed to create a future without MBC. Our MBC Life is committed to realizing that vision.

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

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The short answer to our title question is that you present a clinical trial that’s a game-changer for treating metastatic breast cancer. That’s what happened in June when Shanu Modi, MD, medical oncologist and attending physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, shared the results of the DESTINY-Breast04 trial at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. 

MSK’s Dr. Shanu Modi, principal investigator on the DESTINY-Breast04 trial, talks  with the Our Metastatic Life team about the trial’s standing ovation at ASCO, how to know if we’re HER2-low, and what this all means for us.

Thanks for listening! 

More info about the show and past episodes is available on our website: www.ourmbclife.org

Got something to share? Feedback? 

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter @ourmbclife

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

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The biggest news out of the June meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) was the success of a relatively new drug called Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) in treating estrogen positive (ER+) and triple negative (TNBC) breast cancers that were also HER2 low. Results of the clinical trial presented at the meeting were so positive that in August the FDA approved the drug for patients with metastatic HER2 low breast cancer that has progressed on other treatments.

Most of us likely learned our cancer’s positive or negative HER2 status when we were diagnosed. But how can you find out if you’re HER2 low? And what does this mean for treatment? 

In this episode, pathologist David G. Hicks MD, Professor and Director of IHC-ISH Laboratory Breast Subspecialty Service at the University of Rochester, and Maryam Lustberg MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Breast Cancer at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Chief of Breast Medical Oncology at Yale Cancer Center, help the Our MBC Life team understand HER2 low and what it means for treatment.

Spoiler alert: In its Phase III clinical trial, Enhertu significantly extended both progression-free survival and overall survival versus standard of care chemotherapy—an outcome that earned its research team a standing ovation at ASMO. However, the drug has significant side effects, and Our MBC Life’s Natalia Green shares her experience with her own treatment.

Resources

David G. Hicks, MD bio -  www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/20643669-david-g-hicks

Maryam Lustberg, MD, MPH - https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/maryam_lustberg/

Newly published by Dr. Hicks: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0740257022000570

The official press release from ASCO re Enhertu: https://www.asco.org/about-asco/press-center/news-releases/novel-antibody-drug-conjugate-doubles-progression-free

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

Remember you are not alone.

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On August 6, Lisa Laudico, the creator and driving force behind the podcast series, died peacefully at the age of 56, surrounded by her family. It was an enormous loss for the MBC community, felt nowhere more keenly than among the Our MBC Life team and Share staff and volunteers. In this episode of our podcast, Lisa’s friends, family, and colleagues remember her amazing life—and celebrate the many ways she fostered connection, resilience, and hope throughout the MBC community.

“Lisa was a natural leader, and her passion for raising diverse voices and uniting those living with MBC was infectious,” says close friend Victoria Goldberg, founder of SHARE’s TalkMets Helpline and Lisa’s co-host and co-producer on Our MBC Life. “Her vision for the future was that a giant spotlight needs to shine on metastatic breast cancer research to change the outcomes of this disease, and her belief in our mission never wavered. Her beautiful voice will live on in the old episodes, and the podcast team will strive to continue to make her vision a reality.” 

Diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer in 2017, Lisa was the 4th generation in her family to have breast cancer, but the first to be diagnosed at Stage 4. She met this challenge with the same passion and energy that helped fuel her high-powered career in international business, as well as the compassion and love she brought to her second career as a clinical therapist helping young children deal with trauma.  

Embodying SHARE’s philosophy that “no one should have to face cancer alone,” Lisa created Our MBC Life at the height of the pandemic to amplify the voices of fellow community members and share their day-to-day realities. As senior producer and host, she invited dozens of people living with MBC to share their stories, and partnered with experts in the field to raise awareness and explore solutions to challenges. With episodes covering everything from racial disparities in treatment for people of color to parenting and working with MBC, it is truly a podcast, as Lisa said in the introduction for each episode, “for us, by us.”

Even with her unflagging work ethic, Lisa was a constant and loving presence in the lives of her friends and family. She delighted in spending time with her husband Tony, dog Kita, and two sons Alex and Matthias, who were the lights of her life. From playing games around the kitchen table during the pandemic to skiing and hiking with her sons and visiting extended Canadian family, she took great joy in remaining closely connected to her loved ones. 

Lisa’s story reminds us that we are all much, much more than our diagnosis. It also attests to the profound and enduring difference that one person can make in the lives of many. Here’s to Lisa!

Thanks for listening! 

More info about the show and past episodes is available on our website: www.ourmbclife.org

Got something to share? Feedback? 

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter @ourmbclife

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

Remember you are not alone.

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Introducing Season 5 of the Our MBC Life Podcast.  The podcast's  senior producers and co-hosts Victoria Goldberg and Natalia Green join Anne Woodward  in a conversation about the upcoming season 5 of the podcast and some new things the team is  doing and  exciting details for very special giveaways for the Our MBC Life merchandise.

The podcast team is  still grieving the passing of its founder Lisa Laudico, and this season is dedicated to her.  It was her desire that this podcast continue on. She is the guiding light as the team forges the path ahead. The season launches with a tribute to Lisa. It is a special episode where you, our listener, will listen to the voices that talk about her life and legacy. This episode will be released on October, 5th.

Thanks for listening!
More info is available in our episode notes for this series on our website:  www.ourmbclife.org

 Got something to share? Feedback?

Email:

[email protected]

 Send us a voice recording via email or through speakpipe on our website. 

 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ourmbclife

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

Remember you are not alone.

Send us Fan Mail

The biggest cancer conference in the world,  the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2022 annual meeting, was back in person after 2 years online during the COVID pandemic. Some of the research highlights presented this year are “practice-changing.” and received a rarely given standing ovation. What is  practice changing in MBC?  Get the answer to this  question and a lot more in the report back from ASCO.

Just like the conference itself, the report back from ASCO has become an annual event and a tradition at SHARE.  Shortly after the conference the co-producers of the Our MBC Life podcast Natalia Green and Victoria Goldberg welcomed Dr Niel Iyengar to SHARE to talk about the main highlights in Metastatic Breast Cancer from 2022 ASCO. 

Thanks for listening!

More info is available in our episode notes for this series on our website:  www.ourmbclife.org
Got something to share? Feedback?

Email: [email protected]

 Send us a voice recording via email or through speakpipe on our website. 

 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ourmbclife

We’re so happy you joined us! If this conversation resonated with you please share it with someone who might need it. Don't forget to like and subscribe here to follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. You can find more episodes, resources and ways to get involved on our website Our MBC Life. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on our socials @ourmbclife. 

Remember you are not alone.