Radiation therapy is an important part of treatment for many people diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. High-energy beams are used to destroy cancer cells that were not removed during surgery and to lower the risk of cancer returning to the breast. But the chest is home to other vital organs, including the heart, which can sit very close to the chest wall in many people. Delivering effective radiation treatment while protecting the heart from the effects of radiation is one of the highest priorities for your healthcare team.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer CEO Jean A. Sachs, MSS, MLSP, spoke with radiation oncologist Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, about the importance of protecting the heart during radiation therapy, and the technology and techniques that have been developed to make radiation therapy safe.

Preparing for breast cancer radiation therapy on the left side with Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD

Understanding your breast cancer subtype can help you talk with healthcare providers and loved ones about your diagnosis.

Adrienne Waks, MD addresses audience questions on symptoms, side effects, treatment options and more related to early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer.

Ask the Expert: Early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer with Adrienne Waks, MD

A metastatic breast cancer diagnosis can feel like a shock to the system. If you’ve recently been diagnosed, we know that you may be experiencing intense emotions and uncertainty. Explore these complex emotions and hear from others who have been there and get strategies for managing feelings now and as you go forward. 

Speakers: Jenny Burkholder and Celeste Vaughan-Briggs, LCSW

Newly diagnosed: Managing emotions

Whether this is your first breast cancer diagnosis, or you have had breast cancer before, learning you have metastatic breast cancer is likely to be overwhelming. This session is designed to provide you with the medical information and practical support necessary to help you make informed decisions about your treatment and to get your bearings during the first months after a metastatic diagnosis. This session may also be helpful to those who aren’t newly diagnosed but need a basic understanding of metastatic breast cancer and how it is treated. 

Speaker: Zanetta Lamar, MD

Newly diagnosed: A guide for understanding a diagnosis of MBC

Managing side effects of your treatment is crucial to living well with metastatic breast cancer. In this session, learn about effective strategies to manage side effects from targeted, localized, and systemic treatments. 

Speaker: Kimberly A. Curseen, MD

Managing side effects

Understand different types of pain and hear about medicines and methods to manage pain while preserving your quality of life. Learn how to include pain management in your overall treatment plan, including ways to communicate with your doctor about concerns and finding resources and pain specialists. 

Speaker: Joshua A. Jones, MD, MA

Managing pain

Living with metastatic breast cancer can feel like a roller coaster. You may have experienced several changes in treatment, managed many side effects, and had to make hard choices about practical matters like career, relationships, and how to spend your time and energy. Join this breakout session to discuss these challenges, hear from others like you, and get strategies for managing the toll that these medical, emotional, and everyday matters take from you over time. 

Facilitator: Cheryl Hughes, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C 
Panelists: Ann Camden, Stephanie Walker, and Toni Willis

Living long-term with MBC: A panel discussion on the tough stuff

As a person living long term with mets, you may have experienced several lines of treatment or changes to your treatment. In this session we explore the variables involved in making these decisions, the questions you can ask to better understand available treatment options, ways to honor your quality-of-life goals (including when to halt or stop treatment), and how to communicate your decisions and needs effectively with your provider and your family. 

Speakers: Virginia Borges, MD, MMSc and Abigail Johnston 

To learn more about Thriving Together: 2023 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer: https://www.lbbc.org/community/events/metsconf23

Living long term with MBC: Making treatment decisions

According to a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, around 20% of adults who have personally had cancer or have a family member who had cancer said they owe $10,000 or more in medical debt. This debt has been fueled in part by the "eye-popping price tags" of new treatments. For those living with metastatic breast cancer, that dollar amount is most likely much higher. This workshop looks at the costs of cancer seen through the lens of metastatic breast cancer patients.  The cost of cancer care and potential advocacy solutions is explored by American Cancer Society’s Pam Traxel, while Mary E. Costello, an MBC advocate, shares her story of facing staggering medical costs. 

Speakers: Mary E. Costello and Pam Traxel 

To learn more about Thriving Together: 2023 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer: https://www.lbbc.org/community/events/metsconf23

The cost of cancer for MBC patients

The bones are the most common place for breast cancer to spread. In this session, learn about treatment options, and get strategies to limit side effects, manage bone pain, and maintain bone strength. We also discuss how to understand screening tests, and share updates on clinical trials, studying new treatments and quality of life. 

Speakers: Carmen Bergom, MD, PhD and Katherine N. Weilbaecher, MD 

To learn more about Thriving Together: 2023 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer: https://www.lbbc.org/community/events/metsconf23

Bone mets

Every year, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) brings together thousands of cancer experts to present and learn about recent breakthroughs in cancer treatment. The theme of the 2023 meeting was Partnering With Patients: The Cornerstone of Cancer Care and Research.

During this webinar, medical advisory board member Kathy D. Miller, MD provides an overview of the findings presented at the 2023 meeting and how the latest breast cancer research impacts you.

Breaking news: Updates from the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

All the feels
During this session, we unpacked how to best support mental and emotional well-being, address existing barriers, and offer practical advice and resources. This session equipped you with tools to best support yourself and others.

Purifying Black beauty
We learned about the harmful effects of toxins commonly found in our products like parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. Explored the impact of these toxins on our health and how we can demand legislative change. Got practical tips and guidance on making informed choices for safer products because we deserve products that nourish and celebrate our natural Black beauty.

Part 1: Knowledge is power: The Black breast cancer experience

Session 1 | Empowering patient advocates to remove barriers to care in their community: Join our interactive panel of patient advocates and physicians as we share tangible tools for creating change in our communities. Learn to be a force multiplier in your community by sharing adding your voice to the health equity movement.

Session 2 | When we tri(al) we save lives!: Learn from this panel of doctors, researchers and patients as they share their experiences and how clinical trial participation is saving the lives of Black Breasties.

Part 2: Knowledge is power: The Black breast cancer experience

Session 1 | Inequality you can't ignore: This session will discuss how TCI and LBBC make medical communities aware of these disparities and help open their eyes to any blind spots and procedural issues that could be unknowingly perpetuating the problem.

Session 2 | "I got you sis": Survivorship can be about picking up where you left off or pause.... reset...restart.... either way, I got you sis! Navigating survivorship from diagnosis and beyond as a Black Woman.

Part 3: Knowledge is power: The Black breast cancer experience

In this session, our expert discussed:

Different levels of breast cancer recurrence risk
Unique needs of individuals living with a high risk of recurrence
Tests used to assess risk, including the latest in testing innovations.
Treatments that can help reduce the risk of recurrence.

Our Expert also shared tips on lifestyle modifications to support health and wellbeing after a breast cancer diagnosis, and how to talk to your doctor about your individual risk of recurrence.

Part I: Navigating risk of recurrence and quality of life

Treatments that reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence can also cause side effects. Some common side effects can include menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, bone loss, joint pain, and sexual side effects. There can also be concerns about heart health.

In this session, Evelyn Robles-Rodriguez DNP, APN, AOCN discussed side effects caused by anti-estrogen therapies such as tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, and ovarian suppression, plus ways to manage them.

She is joined by a panel of people who’ve taken some of these treatments, and they share their personal experiences with managing side effects.

Part II:  Navigating risk of recurrence and quality of life

Each year, the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium brings together a global audience of academic, private physicians, researchers and advocates involved in breast cancer and provides a unique platform to learn about cutting-edge research, interact with colleagues, and discuss the latest scientific advances in a multidisciplinary setting to learn about the latest innovations in breast cancer research and education. Learn how the latest breast cancer research presented at SABCS impacts you.

Ask the expert: Updates from the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS)

Metastatic Breast Cancer: The Role of Integrative Care

Conference session by Kimberly A. Curseen, MD.

Palliative Care: What it is and Why it Matters

2018 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Conference: Sharing Wisdom, Sharing Strength
The Latest Research: Hormonal Therapies
Sameer Gupta, MD, MPH

TASCAM DR-40

The Latest Research: Hormonal Therapies

Skin care and scarring after breast cancer surgery and radiation therapy

Mindfulness meditation for resilience and coping with stress

Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to create a world that understands there is more than one way to have breast cancer. To fulfill our mission of providing trusted information and a community of support, we offer on-demand emotional, practical, and evidence-based content that is meaningful to those newly diagnosed, in treatment, post-treatment, and living with metastatic disease.

In Can and Did Conversations, young women diagnosed with breast cancer share their stories about the impact of breast cancer and what they did to steer a path forward in this limited podcast series. Topics that matter, such as navigating mental health conditions, career and workplace decisions, complementary therapies, and fertility issues are discussed.

LivingBeyondBC

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