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Shining a Spotlight on the Unmet Needs of Patients with Advanced ER-Positive / HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

July 22, 2024 Research

For breast cancer researchers, one of the biggest goals of a clinical trial is to address the unmet needs of people living with advanced breast cancer. Advanced breast cancer is difficult to cure or control with treatment. The cancer may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body, i.e. bones, lungs, brain, or liver.  Patients with advanced breast cancer need more treatment options.

Breast Cancer Breakthroughs Episode 10: Highlights from the ASCO 2024 Annual Meeting

July 18, 2024 Research

In this episode of Breast Cancer Breakthroughs, we speak with Komen grantees Dr. Tarah Ballinger, medical oncologist at Indiana University School of Medicine, and Dr. Pedram Razavi, medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, about the biggest highlights from the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting and what they could mean for patients.

Capturing Sunsets: Finding Beauty and Hope in Every Moment

July 15, 2024 Personal Stories

Navigating a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can bring a wide range of emotions. The physical and mental toll is often overwhelming, and it can be difficult to find moments of peace and positivity. However, through these challenges, there are countless stories of resilience, hope and faith that inspire.

Susan G. Komen Center for Public Policy Leads State Policy Change Needed by the Breast Cancer Community

July 10, 2024 Advocacy

2024 State Legislative Sessions Mid-Year Review 34 – Number of states with Komen-led Legislation41 – Number of issues introduced in 2024 state sessions31 – Number of states where Komen engaged in coalition efforts24 – Number of states with enacted Diagnostic & Supplemental Imaging legislation11 – Number of states with enacted Komen-led legislation The Center for […]

Sierra’s Story: Not Too Young for Breast Cancer

July 9, 2024 Personal Stories

Sierra has a history of fibroadenomas, which are benign breast tumors, so when she felt a lump in her breast in late 2022, she assumed that’s what she was feeling. But the more she felt it, she realized that it didn’t feel like a fibroadenoma usually felt.

Help Komen Help Breast Cancer Patients

July 8, 2024 Care

Nobody plans for breast cancer. One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, yet the words, “You have breast cancer” often come as a complete shock. Susan G. Komen meets breast cancer patients where they are and ensures nobody faces breast cancer alone. Whether a patient needs […]

Top 5 Ways Komen’s Patient Care Center Navigators Provide Personalized Breast Cancer Support

July 1, 2024 Community

Komen’s Patient Care Center (PCC) navigators are culturally responsive and dedicated care partners who offer free, personalized services to patients, caregivers and family members. “When I’m working with people in treatment, I want them to know they can trust me to help find answers and resources,” says Roselyn, a Komen Patient Navigator. “Cancer is the biggest blow, and I want to help cushion it.”

Nancy’s Story: Finding a Tool to Help With Scanxiety

June 27, 2024 Partnerships

Regular scans during breast cancer treatment can help identify if the cancer is responding to treatment – or when breast cancer has recurred. In the lead up time to scans, people often feel a sense of anxiety – or scanxiety. Fortunately, there are tools available to some that may help identify breast cancer recurrence.

A Patient Navigator Reflects on Empowerment & Progress

June 26, 2024 Partnerships

Laura Grueser has worked in the community health space and in hospice programs. Four years ago, she joined the Komen Patient Care Center as a patient navigator, where she helps guide breast cancer patients through the health care system. Her job is essentially to help a patient traverse the health care system.

Bizzy’s Story: From ‘The Amazing Race’ to Breast Cancer Survivor

June 21, 2024 Personal Stories

For Wisconsin mom of three and firefighter Bizzy Smith, 2022 was a whirlwind of emotions, beginning with receiving the call that she and her best friend and fellow firefighter Sunny Pulver had been cast as a team on season 36 of “The Amazing Race.” The year would end with her struggling for a diagnosis for the lumps in her left breast.

Cyndi’s Story: Seeking Second Opinions

June 20, 2024 Personal Stories

In a small, rural town in southern Minnesota, Cyndi spent her days as a wife, mother and high school English teacher. In 2018, after she tried everything to mitigate persistent rib pain, she had an appointment that set her on a path she never anticipated.

All You Need to Know About AI-Assisted Mammograms

June 20, 2024 Research

According to the National Cancer Institute, mammograms correctly identify about 87% of breast cancers present at the time of screening.  Researchers are investigating whether AI software can help radiologists detect breast cancer with even more accuracy.

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Recent Podcasts

How do you navigate breast cancer when you know the health care system is stacked against you? And, how, as a health care provider, can you best support marginalized people going through the experience of breast cancer? Let’s find out. In this episode, Jasmine Samuel, a TNBC survivor and Black nurse shares how her experience of suboptimal care in Jackson, Miss., encouraged her to actively seek out a better care experience from MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. We’ll also hear from Komen Scholar Dr. Mariana Chavez MacGregor, a breast medical oncologist and professor at the Breast Medical Oncology Department of MD Anderson Cancer Center who will discuss how she provides compassionate care and focuses research on improving outcomes for underserved patients.

The Difference Care MakesMon, 22 Jul 2024
When something feels off, it is important to pay attention. You know your body best and self-advocating means listening to your body and speaking up for it. Today’s guest had to fight to be taken seriously when she found a lump in her breast at age 26 because she was told that she was too young for breast cancer. Then at multiple other points throughout diagnosis and treatment, she had to advocate for her health by asking for scans and second opinions, which turned out to be necessary because she received an incorrect diagnosis.

Advocating for Your HealthMon, 15 Jul 2024
In today’s episode, we’re calling ALL listeners – young and old – to have conversations with trusted health professionals about their risk of cancer. While breast cancer is most common in older women, today’s guests remind us that young women get breast cancer, too. And knowing if you have a genetic predisposition to breast cancer could save your life. Dani Alderman is 30 years old and a 1-year survivor of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Her maternal grandmother had breast cancer at a young age, so Dani is proactive about her health and gets screened every 6 months. Her mom has not had breast cancer and doesn’t carry a genetic link to breast cancer. But Dani didn’t know that a history of ovarian cancer on her dad’s side of the family could make her at greater risk of breast cancer. Kasey Lipinski is 38 years old and living with metastatic breast cancer. Prostate cancer has affected her father and grandfather, but nobody in her family has had breast cancer. Kasey didn’t know that a prevalence of prostate cancer on her paternal side was a warning sign that she might be at risk of breast cancer.

Real Talk: Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me?Mon, 08 Jul 2024

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