Breast Cancer Conversations is a podcast produced by Survivingbreastcancer.org where we inject positivity into the very fabric of a breast cancer diagnosis. Breast Cancer Conversations provides education, and inspiration, and offers hope. You will hear stories from those diagnosed with breast cancer, interviews with medical professionals, and thought-leadership emerging from the oncology field. Welcome to our breast cancer community! Welcome to the conversation.
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For many people with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, taking a daily medication like tamoxifen can become part of life for years. But what does it actually feel like to live with the side effects day after day?
In this candid episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura Carfang sits down with Lindsey, who was diagnosed with DCIS at age 37 after finding a lump herself. Following surgery and radiation, Lindsey began taking tamoxifen—and quickly discovered that the experience involved much more than simply taking a pill every morning.
Lindsey shares the difficult fertility conversation she and her husband faced before treatment, why she took a trip before starting tamoxifen, and how she has learned to adjust her expectations of what her body can do.
Laura shares her own experience with endocrine therapy and the complicated emotions that can come with years of treatment—even when you understand why you're taking the medication.
The conversation ultimately becomes about more than tamoxifen. It's about learning to give yourself grace when your body changes, letting go of the expectation that you should simply "go back to normal," and realizing that you still deserve to take up space exactly as you are.
Your scans came back. The portal posted results before anyone called. There are four appointments on the calendar and a vocabulary nobody taught you — and underneath it all, the feeling that you're already behind.
Dr. Tiffany Troso-Sandoval spent 25 years treating women's breast and gynecologic cancers, much of it at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Her first piece of advice is the one nobody expects: slow down. Breast cancer treatment is urgent, she says, but it is not an emergency. It does not have to be solved in the next thirty-seven seconds — and the decisions you make in a panic are rarely the ones you'd make in a week.
In this conversation with host Laura Carfang, Dr. Troso-Sandoval walks through what to do in the first 48 hours, why breast cancer is not one disease but many, and what she's actually looking at when she reads your pathology report — tumor size, margins, lymph nodes, Ki-67, receptor status — before she ever walks into the room. She explains hormone receptors and HER2 in plain language, why chemotherapy sometimes comes before surgery, and how Oncotype and MammaPrint answer the question so many people are carrying: do I even need chemo?
She's also frank about the parts of oncology that aren't in the guidelines — that she doesn't treat an 84-year-old the same as a 34-year-old with identical pathology, and that treatment plans get built around whether your daughter can drive you. And there's one thing she circles back to make sure it's said out loud: if you're of childbearing age, fertility has to come up at the first visit. Not the third.
🔗 Dr. Tiffany Troso-Sandoval — drtiffanytroso.com Her book, Calming the Cancer Chaos: An Oncologist's Guide for Women to Understand, Organize, and Take Control of Their Cancer Care, is out now and includes a free companion workbook. Disclosure: Dr. Troso-Sandoval discusses her book and private practice in this episode. SurvivingBreastCancer.org received no payment and earns no commission.
💗 About SurvivingBreastCancer.org We're a nonprofit providing evidence-based education, emotional support, and well-being resources to everyone touched by breast cancer — at every stage. 400+ programs a year, all virtual and 100% free.
311. Men Get Breast Cancer Too: The Symptom Vic Almost Dismissed
When Vic Clevenger's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, he and his brother had a thought that many men probably share:
At least we're not women. We don't have to worry about breast cancer.
Years later, Vic learned firsthand just how wrong that assumption can be.
It started with what looked like a stain on his shirt. When Vic realized fluid was coming from his nipple, he initially assumed it was probably a cyst, pimple, or something minor.
His fiancée encouraged him to get it checked.
Even then, Vic says his concerns were initially dismissed because male breast cancer was considered "too rare." But Vic knew something wasn't right and sought another opinion.
A mammogram and biopsy ultimately confirmed breast cancer.
In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Vic joins Laura Carfang for an honest—and often surprisingly funny—conversation about male breast cancer, self-advocacy, genetic testing, masculinity, body image, and learning to live fully after a cancer diagnosis.
Vic shares his experience undergoing a double mastectomy and radiation, taking ongoing hormone therapy, and later discovering that he carries a BRCA2 mutation. His family's genetic testing also challenged another common assumption: hereditary breast cancer risk doesn't only come from your mother's side of the family.
In this episode, we discuss:
Yes, men can get breast cancer
The unexpected symptom that led Vic to seek medical care
Why nipple discharge or other breast changes shouldn't be ignored
What happened when Vic's concerns were initially dismissed
Having a mammogram and biopsy as a man
Vic's experience with a double mastectomy and surgical drains
Body image and the emotional impact of mastectomy for men
Using humor to navigate cancer and recovery
310. Surviving Cancer Is Only the Beginning: How to Process What Comes After
What happens emotionally after you've spent months—or years—focused on simply surviving cancer?
Treatment may end. Scans may look good. Life may begin moving forward again. But that doesn't necessarily mean you've processed what happened to you.
In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura Carfang sits down with visual artist, therapeutic arts practitioner, author, and cancer survivor Nerissa Balland for an honest conversation about the emotional aftermath of cancer—and why healing and surviving aren't necessarily the same thing.
Nerissa was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma while five months pregnant and already raising a toddler. After navigating cancer treatment, motherhood, and enormous uncertainty, she began asking a question that would ultimately change the direction of her life:
Was she the only one struggling to recognize the woman she had become after cancer?
That question led Nerissa to interview more than 100 young mothers diagnosed with cancer. Across different diagnoses, backgrounds, treatments, and family circumstances, common themes emerged: identity, grief, anger, isolation, resilience, meaning-making, and the challenge of figuring out who you are after cancer changes your life.
Listen to hear three very different perspectives on what radiation for metastatic breast cancer can really look like and what these women want others to know before starting treatment.
Radiation can play a very different role in metastatic breast cancer than it does in early-stage disease.
It may be used to treat a specific metastatic site, help control cancer in the brain, liver or bones, relieve pain, or—as you'll hear in this episode—become part of a much larger treatment strategy.
In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura is joined by Kacie, Sara, and Joyce, three women living with metastatic breast cancer who have experienced radiation in very different ways.
Sara shares what happened after her breast cancer metastasized to her brain, including surgery, Gamma Knife radiation, being fitted for a radiation mask, hair loss, fatigue, seizures, and the emotional weight of undergoing treatment to the brain.
Casey was diagnosed de novo metastatic with liver metastases and underwent cryoablation and SBRT (stereotactic body radiation therapy) as part of an aggressive treatment approach. She talks candidly about the long-term effects of radiation—including weakened ribs and fractures—as well as the scans that eventually showed her liver metastases disappearing.
Joyce shares a different side of radiation: palliative radiation for painful bone metastases. She describes how radiation dramatically improved her hip pain, while also discussing gastrointestinal side effects and radiation burns that required additional care.
Together, their stories offer an honest look at the questions many people have before radiation: What will treatment actually feel like? How do you know if it's working? What side effects might happen? What can make the experience easier? And how do you weigh side effects against the possibility of controlling cancer or improving quality of life?
In this episode, we discuss radiation for metastatic breast cancer, SBRT, Gamma Knife radiation, brain metastases, liver metastases, bone metastases, palliative radiation, radiation masks and claustrophobia, fatigue, skin changes and burns, hair loss, pain relief, scan results, long-term side effects, and quality of life.
308. Can a Blood Test Detect Breast Cancer Recurrence? Two Patients Share Their Signatera Experience
What if a blood test could detect signs of breast cancer at the molecular level?
Circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA, is generating growing interest among people diagnosed with breast cancer, particularly those wondering about recurrence, treatment response, and what may be happening in the body before something appears on conventional imaging.
One test you may have heard about is Signatera.
In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura Carfang talks with Shannon and Erin, two women with very different breast cancer experiences who both pursued Signatera testing.
Erin was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer before her 35th birthday and began exploring Signatera after completing treatment and wondering how she would know if her cancer returned. Shannon was initially diagnosed with DCIS, later developed invasive disease, and is now living with oligometastatic stage IV breast cancer. Her Signatera results became one piece of a much larger diagnostic and monitoring picture.
Together, they share the questions, emotions, uncertainty, and conversations with their healthcare teams that came with pursuing ctDNA testing.
In this episode:
What circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is
What the Signatera test is designed to detect
Why some breast cancer patients are asking about ctDNA testing
Erin's experience asking her oncologist for Signatera testing
Shannon's experience with changing Signatera results
What can happen when blood test results and imaging don't seem to tell the same story
Recurrence anxiety and the desire for more information
Advocating for yourself while still partnering with your medical team
What it means to live with oligometastatic breast cancer
The emotional impact of waiting for test results
The questions that remain as ctDNA testing continues to evolve
This episode isn't about telling you whether you should—or shouldn't—get Signatera. It's an honest conversation about why patients are interested in this technology, what two women experienced when they pursued it, and why understanding both the possibilities and limitations of emerging testing matters.
307. What Long-Term Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer Really Looks Like
What does life really look like five—or even ten—years after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis?
For many people, the initial diagnosis is filled with uncertainty, fear, and countless unanswered questions. But thanks to advances in treatment, more people are living longer with metastatic breast cancer than ever before, and with that comes an important conversation about what it means to continue living while navigating an incurable disease.
In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, host Laura Carfang is joined by Paula Bouckhuyt and Teresa Noah, two women who share their personal experiences living with metastatic breast cancer for more than five years.
Together, they discuss how life has evolved since diagnosis, the realities of long-term treatment, scan anxiety, relationships, work, disability, palliative care, and finding hope in the midst of uncertainty.
In this episode, we discuss:
What it's like living with metastatic breast cancer for five and ten years
How treatment routines become part of everyday life
Scan anxiety and coping with uncertainty
The emotional impact of long-term survivorship with MBC
Living with oral therapies like Xeloda and Ibrance
How relationships change after an MBC diagnosis
Why support groups can make a profound difference
The role of palliative care in improving quality of life
Mental health, resilience, and asking for help
Advice for those newly diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer
This episode reminds us that while every metastatic breast cancer journey is different, there is no single way to live with this disease. Through honest conversation, Paula and Teresa offer hope, perspective, and practical wisdom for anyone navigating life with MBC.
Somewhere between the diagnosis and the last appointment, most of us stopped breathing all the way down. Not on purpose. The body braces, the jaw clenches, the shoulders come up — and then treatment ends, everyone tells you congratulations, and nobody mentions that your nervous system never got the memo that the emergency is over.
In this episode, host Laura Carfang sits down with Brett Aldrich — Ayurvedic health counselor, breathwork facilitator, and former social services practitioner specializing in trauma awareness and domestic violence — for a conversation about what it takes to feel safe in your body again after cancer treatment.
Brett talks about the five elements of Ayurveda not as a rulebook but as a way of reading yourself: what you need today may not be what you needed yesterday, and women in particular are changing constantly. She's candid that she doesn't practice it perfectly, that she still drinks coffee, and that "one thing can change everything" — because the alternative, a total lifestyle overhaul on top of everything else you're carrying, is a plan nobody can keep.
Laura brings the questions our community actually asks: what do you do when your digestion has been wrecked by treatment? When your estrogen has been deliberately taken to zero and you're grieving what that costs your bones and your brain? When you're the busy mom with pickup and drop-off and aging parents and a job, and a seven-day retreat is a fantasy? And what about all the supplements on social media promising to cleanse and fix you?
Then the conversation turns to breath — and this is the part worth staying for. Brett explains the mechanics plainly: how a full diaphragmatic breath moves the diaphragm against the organs, how the vagus nerve connects the throat to the heart, lungs, and gut, and why the felt sense of safety is the precondition for everything else. When the body feels safe, there's space to heal.
About the guest:
Brett Aldrich is an Ayurvedic health counselor and breathwork practitioner and facilitator based in Maine. Her background is in yoga and in social services, where she worked in trauma awareness and domestic violence support before moving into holistic and Ayurvedic care. She works with clients in person and virtually through her practice, Seed the Spirit ().
305. Palliative Care Isn't Hospice: Whole-Person Support at Every Stage of Breast Cancer
When you're living with breast cancer, the medical team treats the cancer — but who takes care of everything else? The fear that won't quiet down at 2 a.m. The diarrhea you're not sure is "bad enough" to call about. The FMLA paperwork, the school pickup, the light bill, the strange grief that shows up right when everyone expects you to feel grateful.
In this episode, host Laura Carfang sits down with Dr. Julia Frydman, palliative care physician and medical director at Thyme Care, and Dr. Stephanie Broussard, director of social work at Thyme Care, to talk about what whole-person cancer support actually looks like — at every stage, from newly diagnosed through survivorship and metastatic disease. Together they unpack how a proactive, interdisciplinary team of nurses, social workers, and physicians closes the gaps that so often get missed, meeting people where they are, on their schedule, whether that's a text, an after-hours call, or simply someone to talk to.
Julia and Stephanie share how structured, evidence-based check-ins catch symptoms early (before a small problem becomes an ER visit), how they screen for the emotional distress patients often don't realize they're carrying, and why the transitions in a cancer journey can feel like the rug being pulled out from under you. They tackle one of the biggest misconceptions in cancer care head-on: palliative care is NOT hospice — it's added support at any age and any stage. And they get honest about the things we rarely make space for: the ambivalence of "no evidence of disease," the grief that lives alongside the gratitude, financial toxicity, caregiver burnout, and the particular weight carried by those living with metastatic breast cancer, for whom treatment never ends.
This is a warm, practical conversation about being seen, being heard, and knowing you don't have to endure it all alone.
In this episode:
Why "you don't know what you don't know" is one of the biggest barriers in cancer care
Proactive check-ins and patient-reported outcomes: catching symptoms before they escalate
When a symptom is clinically significant — and when it's okay to manage it at home
304. Palliative Care Is Not Giving Up: Patients Living With MBC Share What It Really Means
Palliative care is one of the most misunderstood parts of cancer care. Many people hear the term and think it means hospice, end-of-life care, or giving up. But palliative care, also called supportive care, can be offered alongside active cancer treatment and is focused on improving quality of life.
In this episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, we hear from Kacie Flaherty, Joyce Garber, Paula Bouckhuyt, Hillary Stackpole, and Aimee Hoes, who are living with metastatic breast cancer about their unique experiences with palliative care. Some were offered it early. Some had to ask for it. Some learned about it from other patients. Others are still trying to access the support they need.
Together, we explore what palliative care really looks like: pain management, side effect support, emotional care, medication questions, care coordination, and whole-person support.
This episode is a powerful reminder that palliative care is not about giving up. It is about helping people live with more comfort, support, dignity, and quality of life.
Resources:
Listeners looking for a palliative care provider can search the Palliative Care Provider Directory through GetPalliativeCare.org.
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⚠️ This video is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Dr. Troso-Sandoval is not your physician and cannot advise on individual cases; treatment standards described here are general and evolve rapidly. Please talk with your own oncology team about your diagnosis and treatment plan.
The importance of genetic counseling and testing when appropriate
Fear of recurrence and life after treatment
Why some men may delay going to the doctor
How breast cancer organizations can make male patients feel more included
Why self-advocacy and second opinions can matter
Vic's perspective on getting a "second lease on life"
Vic also shares an important challenge for healthcare providers and cancer organizations: don't make men hunt for information about male breast cancer.
While male breast cancer is uncommon, the people diagnosed with it deserve information, resources, and support that recognize their experiences.
And Vic's message to other men is one worth sharing:
If you notice something different in your body, don't ignore it. Get it checked. And if you don't feel like your concerns are being taken seriously, keep asking questions.
Because breast cancer isn't exclusively a women's disease.
The pressure to return to "normal" after treatment
Finding meaning and purpose after a life-changing diagnosis
Why emotional healing isn't linear—and doesn't follow a timeline
Laura also shares her own experiences with emotions unexpectedly surfacing after breast cancer treatment and what she learned from breaking a crayon during an expressive arts exercise.
Whether you're newly diagnosed, years beyond treatment, living with ongoing cancer, or supporting someone you love, this conversation offers permission to acknowledge that getting through treatment is only one part of the experience.
Most importantly, this conversation shows why there isn't one universal “radiation experience.” The location being treated, type of radiation, treatment goal, and individual patient all matter.
The experiences shared in this episode are personal and are not a substitute for medical advice. Talk with your oncology and radiation oncology teams about your individual diagnosis and treatment options.
Important: The experiences shared in this episode are personal stories and should not be interpreted as medical advice. Talk with your oncology team about whether ctDNA testing is appropriate for your individual diagnosis and treatment plan.
Disclosure: Brett offers consultations through her private practice, including a free 20-minute introductory call. SurvivingBreastCancer.org received no payment for this episode.
Emotional distress vs. depression and anxiety: what's normal adjustment, and what needs support
The grief-and-gratitude paradox of survivorship, and making space for both
Fear of recurrence, "no evidence of disease," and the symptom burden that follows patients
How a nurse/social-work triage team coordinates with your oncology team (not around it)
Mental health escalation in action — from a routine call to real-time support
Financial toxicity, social needs, and caregiver support
Who can access Thyme Care, insurance partnerships, and 50-state licensing
Metastatic and life-limiting breast cancer: bearing witness and living with uncertainty
The truth about palliative care: it adds, it doesn't take away
Outcomes: higher satisfaction, improved symptoms, fewer avoidable hospitalizations, and expanded access to palliative care
About the guests:
Dr. Julia Frydman is a palliative care physician and medical director at Thyme Care, where an interdisciplinary team provides whole-person support to people living with cancer as an extra layer alongside their oncology care.
Dr. Stephanie Broussard, DSW, is director of social work at Thyme Care, leading its clinical and non-clinical social support teams, with a background in oncology, palliative care, and behavioral health.
About the show: Breast Cancer Conversations is produced by SurvivingBreastCancer.org, a nonprofit providing evidence-based education, emotional support, and well-being resources to everyone touched by breast cancer — at every stage. All of our programs are virtual, online, and 100% free, with a global reach. Learn more at survivingbreastcancer.org.
This episode is for educational and emotional-support purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please talk with your own care team about your symptoms and treatment. Eligibility for Thyme Care depends on your insurer, employer, or provider — check their website to see if you're covered.
