Our MBC Life

On this episode of Think Joy Thursday, we will be exploring the difference between happiness and joy. We will share some scientific research that has been done to determine if we are pre-disposed to being joyful and will delve into ways to help you spot true joy. We will explore how to have joy even if you are experiencing difficult life circumstances by sharing ways to find joy when confronted with both the big and small challenges of life.

Jumping hurdles to get the treatments you want is the reality for people living with MBC. Add systemic racism into the healthcare mix and it’s clear that more needs to happen, and soon, to create equity and greater diversity in one of the most important tools in the MBC toolbox: clinical trials. In this episode, we check in with Stephanie Walker, who led the BECOME project and spearheads the Black Wo(Men) Speak Symposium, patient advocate and clinical trial participant Rev. Dr. Tawana Davis, and Patient Navigator Valarie Worthy. How does systemic racism affect what Black patients learn about MBC clinical trials? And how can those who need it most break down barriers to the best care?

Welcome to the second part of our post–2022-ASCO analysis of the state of affairs in the HR-positive MBC. It was not so long ago that our only options 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 in selecting and sequencing treatments, specifically CDK4/6 inhibitors and the newly approved targeted therapies.

There’s a FDA- approved diagnostic imaging agent developed to comprehensively evaluate estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) lesions in recurrent or metastatic breast cancer as an adjunct to biopsy. By creating a “whole-body” picture of ER+ lesions, Cerianna may be a helpful diagnostic tool in helping oncologists better determine the most appropriate course of treatment. Learn more in this episode.

Celebrate OMBCL’s 100th episode and National Family Caregiver Month by listening to our candid conversations with three committed and courageous caregivers.

While HER2-Low and DESTINY-Breast04 garnered most of the headlines from the ASCO 2022 in June, it was not the only reason for optimism. Our MBC Life takes a deeper dive with Dr. Stephanie Graff and Dr. Hope Rugo in this first episode of our two-part series.

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

Welcome to the Meditation Mondays series, created with MBC patients in mind and designed for people who want to assist their body’s natural tendency to repair and heal. The focus of this episode is practice of awareness. When we meditate, what do we learn about ourselves?

MSK’s Dr. Shanu Modi, lead investigator on the DESTINY-Breast04 trial, talks with the Our MBC 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.

Being diagnosed with MBC can feel like you’ve been dropped into a dangerous and alien landscape, one whose inhabitants speak a new and confusing language. Numb and bewildered, you face a mountain of medical decisions—each with seemingly high stakes. The last in Our MBC Life’s 3-part series for people newly diagnosed with MBC, this episode’s interview with Dr. Rebecca Shatsky, interspersed with experienced-patient voices, sheds light on cancer types, tests, and treatment—and empowers listeners to navigate this challenging new terrain with understanding, knowledge, and confidence.