Cancer Straight Talk Podcast from MSK

In this episode, Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes welcomes MSK exercise scientist Dr. Lee Jones back to the show to discuss the most recent findings about the effects of exercise on cancer prevention, treatment and recovery. Dr. Jones provides advice for patients to stay physically fit and battle fatigue, as well as the most effective training regimen for anybody, with or without cancer.

While the holidays are meant to be a season of celebration, reflection and spending time with family and friends, it can also be a time of anxiety, grief or loneliness for those living with the reality of cancer. How does one find peace and meaning in the swarm of emotions that cancer brings up? In this episode, Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes and MSK chaplain Brian Kelly share their thoughts on what makes life meaningful and how to find your light in the darkest of times.

This is the third of three Spanish-language episodes published in 2022. A recent clinical trial for rectal cancer headed up by Memorial Sloan Kettering has grabbed the attention of medical oncologists and cancer scientists around the world. Like a miracle, in a subset of patients with the right genetic makeup, an IV infusion of an immunotherapy caused a complete remission. The doctors were shocked. The cancer disappeared in every single patient enrolled on trial.

Recent research has shown that most, if not all, high grade serous ovarian cancers originate in the fallopian tubes. With no pronounced symptoms or tests to catch it early, ovarian cancer is usually detected in women with an average risk of cancer and in highly advanced stages. In this episode, gynecologic surgeons Kara Long-Roche (MSK) and Rebecca Stone (John Hopkins) join Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes to discuss a procedure that’s 100% effective at preventing the most common form of ovarian cancer: a salpingectomy, or removal of the fallopian tubes.

Dr. Selwyn Vickers was named President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in September 2022. His vision of a future with equal access and better outcomes for all has inspired the faculty and staff at MSK. In this episode, Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes gets to know Dr. Vickers’ philosophy on achieving health equity, from restoring trust in the system, to overcoming racial bias in the clinic, to improving people’s access to top hospitals like MSK.

Mark Lewis was inspired to become a cancer doctor after living through the highs and lows of his father’s cancer journey. On day one of his oncology fellowship, Mark developed an abdominal pain and was suddenly diagnosed with the very same cancer that took his father; a cancer, he learned, that can be passed down to his children as well.

For nearly half of all breast cancer patients – those with low levels of the HER2 protein – targeted treatment options have always been limited. Palliative chemo has been the standard of care in stage 4 metastatic patients – until now.

This is the second of three Spanish-language episodes publishing in 2022. We are what we eat, and there’s no doubt that certain lifestyles increase the risk of developing cancer. So how does food help us reduce that risk? Where can I get help finding healthy food? And what should I be eating if I have cancer? In this episode, Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes talks with MSK nutritionist Karla Giboyeaux and MSK gastroenterologist Dr. Delia Calo about building good habits to reduce our risk of cancer, from grocery shopping to cooking to scheduling regular screenings.

You’ve received a cancer diagnosis. Now what? For George Kolasa, it was obvious: use his glioblastomadiagnosis for good. “I’ve been chosen,” he says. Since February, George has been spreading his message of hope, acceptance and overcoming adversity on social media, while husband Justin has taken on his new role as caretakerwith military-grade precision and organization.

A recent clinical trial for rectal cancer headed up by Memorial Sloan Kettering has grabbed the attention of medical oncologists and cancer scientists around the world. Like a miracle, in a subset of patients with the right genetic makeup, an IV infusion of an immunotherapy caused a complete remission. The doctors were shocked. The cancer disappeared in every single patient enrolled on trial. The results are so impressive they were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and featured at the nation’s largest gathering of clinical oncologists in June 2022.