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As a TV personality, Meredith Vieira knows the importance of connecting with people. She also knows how devastating breast cancer can be. Both her mother and grandmother were diagnosed with the disease. Join Meredith as she brings you an intimate look at the ups and downs of life with metastatic breast cancer, and shares her experience alongside a variety of people living with mBC, doctors, and advocates. Tune in to hear inspiring stories of courage and hope, as well as insights on how you can find your own mBC voice.
“I know firsthand how fear of the unknown can dictate the decisions we make….However, if you're too afraid to ask questions, then you'll never get the answers you need to make informed decisions about your treatment plan. “
- Meredith Vieira
Episode One:
A New Reality
A New Reality
A metastatic breast cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming. It can also be a very difficult time for your loved ones. When you’re diagnosed with mBC, your friends and family struggle too. They want to be there for you, they want to help, but sometimes, they don’t know how.
Join Meredith Vieira and Teri Pollastro as they discuss some of the emotions and stages people with mBC go through, as well as ways to better involve those around you in your new situation.
It’s time to talk about depression, denial, and the unseen dynamics of a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.
Guest: Teri Pollastro, Metastatic Breast Cancer Patient and Advocate
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Episode Two:
Let's Be Honest
Let's Be Honest
When you’re diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, you may feel alone and confused. There’s a lot of information out there and you may not feel comfortable asking for help.
In this episode, Meredith Vieira and Dr. Neelima Denduluri share different ways you can build an open and honest relationship with your health care team. Listen as they discuss the importance of setting priorities and goals, and how communicating effectively can help you and your health care team tailor your treatment plans.
Building a strong relationship with your metastatic breast cancer caregiving team is important.
Guest: Neelima Denduluri, MD, Oncologist with Virginia Cancer Specialists
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Episode Three:
An Education
An Education
When you’re first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, finding the right resources and a community of support are important.
Listen as Meredith Vieira invites Cathy Ormerod to share insights on how you can find credible information and how to establish a support community to ensure you don’t feel overwhelmed or isolated.
Educating yourself on metastatic breast cancer and identifying the right places to go for information.
Guest: Cathy Ormerod, Vice President, Programs and Partnerships, at Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC)
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Episode Four:
“The” Conversation
“The” Conversation
A metastatic breast cancer diagnosis doesn’t only impact your life. It impacts your friends and family too.
In this episode, Meredith Vieira seeks out the advice from Christine Verini. Listen along as Christine shares tips on how you can have an honest conversation with loved ones. Christine also provides recommendations on what caregivers can say when someone they know is newly diagnosed with mBC.
How to tell your family, friends, and loved ones about your metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.
Guest: Christine Verini, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of CancerCare
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Episode Five:
What Did You Say?
What Did You Say?
With a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis comes an almost foreign language of terms, words, and abbreviations that you may have never heard before, adding confusion to an already complicated time.
Gain inspiration from Beth Fairchild as she and Meredith Vieira discuss her experience of taking a crash course in oncology to learn what she needed to know to advocate for herself, as a patient, and what advice she has for others as they try to do the same.
Learning the language of metastatic breast cancer and how to use it effectively.
Guest: Beth Fairchild, President, METAvivor & Director, #Cancerland
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Episode Six:
Untold Tolls
Untold Tolls
The financial burden of a disease may feel as stressful as the diagnosis. In this episode, Meredith Vieira and Monica Fawzy Bryant share tips that can help you manage the costs of mBC care and treatment, as well as identify resources that may help.
Follow along as they reveal examples of some costs you might expect to be associated with an mBC diagnosis, and some you might not. Learn the importance of doing your own research, being financially aware, and feeling confident discussing these issues with those who may help.
Learning how to ease the financial burdens of metastatic breast cancer and find the resources available to you.
Guest: Monica Fawzy Bryant, Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Triage Cancer
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Dr. Elizabeth Comen, is a sought-after oncologist specializing in treating patients with breast cancer. For more than 16 years, she's helped people diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer find their voice, so that together, they can make informed treatment decisions. Now she invites leading medical professionals and patient advocates to explore the clinical side and complexity of mBC to help you find clarity in the face of this disease.
"Every person living with metastatic breast cancer is different....It is important that you and your doctor work together in putting together your own treatment plan. Open, honest, and informed conversations are the best way to do this."
- Dr. Elizabeth Comen
Episode One: The Q’s That Come Before The A’s
Dealing With a Metastatic Breast Cancer Diagnosis
When you’re first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, a lot of questions float through your mind. What are the important questions you have and how should you go about asking them?
Listen as Dr. Elizabeth Comen and Dr. Hope S. Rugo explore these topics and more. They’ll share some of the challenges, the importance of prioritizing questions, and suggest ways you can communicate with your health care providers to ensure you’re getting the information and care you need.
Dealing With a Metastatic Breast Cancer Diagnosis
When dealing with a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, big questions require big answers.
Guest: Hope S. Rugo, MD, Professor of Medicine, Director, Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
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Episode Two:
Research Readout
Research Readout
What’s New in Breast Cancer Research
Breast cancer research is constantly evolving.
In this episode, Dr. Elizabeth Comen and Dr. Heather McArthur praise this incredible time of innovation as they explore the latest in cancer research, emerging strategies, and the new ways scientists are looking to prevent, detect, and treat mBC.
What’s New in Breast Cancer Research
Discover what cancer researchers are doing to find better ways to prevent, detect, and treat metastatic breast cancer, and how to improve your quality of life.
Guest: Heather McArthur, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Breast Oncology – Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
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Episode Three:
Subtypes And Status
Subtypes And Status
Understanding the Positives (+), Negatives (-) and Genetics of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Understanding the mutation status and subtype of metastatic breast cancer can help you and your doctors make more informed treatment decisions.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen discusses this and more with Dr. Julia Perkins Smith. In this conversation, Dr. Smith shares her expertise on the importance of the genetic signature subtype of cancer and the hereditary causes of it. Learn how sharing more information can help both you and your doctor discuss next steps and help you choose a treatment plan most suited to your diagnosis.
Understanding the Positives (+), Negatives (-) and Genetics of Metastatic Breast Cancer
When it comes to choosing a metastatic breast cancer treatment, just how much does mutation status and subtype matter?
Guest: Julia Perkins Smith, MD, Global Clinical Lead – Pfizer
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Episode Four:
Treatment Type Talk
Treatment Type Talk
Exploring the Available Treatment Options
The landscape of treatment options available for metastatic breast cancer has evolved dramatically. So how do you know which treatments are right for you?
In this episode, Dr. Elizabeth Comen invites Dr. Erika Hamilton to discuss different treatment options available to metastatic breast cancer patients. Listen along as these two doctors give an overview of the most common and innovative treatment options to consider, and then provide insight on how you and your doctor can best determine which treatments are right for you.
Exploring the Available Treatment Options
Learn more about what treatment options are available for metastatic breast cancer and how your doctors determine which treatment options may be right for you.
Guest: Erika Hamilton, MD, Director, Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Program – Sarah Cannon Research Institute
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Episode Five:
Clinical Trial Checklist
Clinical Trial Checklist
Determining if Participation is Right for You
Clinical trials are research studies that involve people so that doctors can find new ways to detect, diagnose, treat or prevent cancer, and to manage cancer symptoms or treatment side effects. But how do you know if a clinical trial is the right option for you?
Dr. Elizabeth Comen and Shirley Mertz debunk the common myths and misconceptions around clinical trials, outline the questions you need to ask, and give insight on what elements you should consider before participating in a trial.
Determining if Participation is Right for You
Learn about clinical trials, and how you can determine if participating in a clinical trial is the right option.
Guest: Shirley Mertz, Advocate, President – MBC Network
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Episode Six:
What Now?
What Now?
Things to Consider When Your Treatment Isn’t Working for You
One challenging part of treating metastatic breast cancer is when there is a progression of the disease because a treatment did not work or is no longer working.
In this episode, Dr. Elizabeth Comen invites Dr. Alison Conlin to discuss what it means to have a progression of the disease, as well as the emotional and social components that come with this. Listen along as these two doctors discuss the importance of having an open dialogue with a supportive health care team, and outline potential or alternative next steps in treatment.
Things to Consider When Your Treatment Isn’t Working for You
Learn about the emotional and social components of disease progression and how to cope with the news.
Guest: Alison Conlin, MD, MPH, Oncologist – Providence Cancer Institute
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Learn How To Talk With Your Doctor About Your Treatment Options, Goals, And Questions
