Cancer for Breakfast

Did you catch the NPR article about us? Cancer people, that is. Or…one cancer person, whose life was—get this—changed by cancer. Amy’s also noticing that the Health section of the newspaper is…well, extremely healthy. Those of us with uninspirational stories would like some media representation, if you don’t mind! A listener—ahem, our new best friend—says it’s hard to mask as a muggle when all you can think about is the big C. And when anxiety gets the best of you, will the benzos betray you with heightened recurrence risk? What a rip. We dip a toe into the convo and promise to come back with more. Then, Beata-fying a scientist is exactly our jam. RATS herald the unlikely hero who cooked up her own treatment in a virology lab. The votive candles are already in production. 

Ding dong, The Juice is (still) dead! Of cancer! But speaking of juice: how do steroids work? Afterschool specials didn’t prepare us for this. A letter asks how to find a cancer bestie when you’re a queer 40-something cancer person. Have we mentioned lately that we have a Facebook group? If you need a pal, we have some excellent candidates. Is an over sharing Cancer Kathy justified in feeling so burned from her radiation techs? See you tomorrow…or next Tuesday, maybe? In still more letters, let’s talk partner probs. Lesbianism makes its second appearance in this episode, and this time it’s a suggestion. Damn it, dental probs are contributing to colon cancer! Is Amy in a strange water-pick cult? Not again!

Scans abound in Cancerland. What’s up with Stef? (Is a question many ask unrelated to cancer, but this time it’s relevant!) Then, is Diet Coke the new menthol cigarette? Let’s ask Amy’s nurse. That blasted jerk Glioblastoma has a new foe, as does melanoma. How do we know? Three little birds told us! In Letters, a listener asks what’s up with Olivia Munn’s confusing cancer characterization. Can Luminal B stand on its own when you’re dealing with the big C? You know what else is confusing? Colon cancer screenings. Why doesn’t someone make it easier? Guess what?? Someone did. 

Glioblastoma news:

https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/06/06/new-glioblastoma-treatment-reaches-human-brain-tumor-and-helps-immune-cells-recognize-cancer-cells/

 (https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/06/06/new-glioblastoma-treatment-reaches-human-brain-tumor-and-helps-immune-cells-recognize-cancer-cells/)

Melanoma news: https://www.moffitt.org/endeavor/archive/new-breakthrough-therapy-for-metastatic-melanoma-receives-fda-approval/ (https://www.moffitt.org/endeavor/archive/new-breakthrough-therapy-for-metastatic-melanoma-receives-fda-approval/)

Breaking down the molecular subtypes of breast canc

er so Olivia Munn doesn’t have to: 

https://www.breastcancer.org/types/molecular-subtypes

 (https://www.breastcancer.org/types/molecular-subtypes)

Colon cancer screening: 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna143066 (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna143066)

Bob Marley’s melanoma story: 

https://www.skincancer.org/blog/bob-marley-should-not-have-died-from-melanoma/ (https://www.skincancer.org/blog/bob-marley-should-not-have-died-from-melanoma/)

Extra! Extra! Stef’s coming out of the Emetophobia closet—just as Amy’s out of the bathroom holding the dreaded bowl. In even more disgusting news, we’re telling you about the Portland pathologist whose benign results are anything but. Grab your barf bags for this news report. (Note: the count is now up to 12 patients.) Then, Letters hurls us into the guilt, recurrence fear, and uncertainty of survivorship. One thing is certain, though: RATS have infested Amy’s (other) ducts and the only thing stinkier? Getting a second cancer when you’re trying to outsmart your first. Take a ride with us, but buckle up. Is CAR T cell therapy safe enough?