Cancer for Breakfast

Ring ring! It’s Stef on line 2. Treatment line, that is. Sorry to leave you on hold, but we’re finally picking this thing back up. Speaking of being backed up, you may wish we’d stayed gone when Stef explains what happens when your digestive system clocks out early. Someone get this massage hating woman a massage already. Lately Amy’s been trying to side-step some side-effects, but “Not on my watch!” says…well her watch. And it’s been a minute since we complained about hormones—or Trump Supporters—but those topics are evergreen in our book. We’ve missed you, too. Throw some MSG on it and get dialed in—this episode is ready!

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!Here’s the article on plaque and colon cancer: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07182-wand an overview of flossing vs waterpik just for fun: https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/waterpik-vs-flossing#flossingWe looked into the steroid thing: https://www.goodrx.com/classes/anabolic-steroids/roid-rage

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 cancer 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? About the Providence pathologist: https://www.kptv.com/2024/02/29/providence-patients-plan-sue-over-lab-errors/?outputType=ampCAR T cell therapy black box warning: https://www.onclive.com/view/fda-requests-class-wide-boxed-warning-for-car-t-cell-agents-regarding-secondary-t-cell-malignancy-riskCancer for Breakfast is hosted by Amy Dials and Stefanie LeJeunesse and produced by Nathan McGehee. Theme music is by Vyvyvyr. RATS theme song by Jessica Boudreaux.

Alert! Alert! This is NOT a test of the emergency cancer broadcast system. Tumour has it that the worst club with the best members has a new recruit from across the pond and we’re having a chin wag about it. The gals share differing opinions on keeping an illness under royal wraps, but we can all agree that nobody’s hiring Kate’s PR team. What do other cancer commoners think about all this? Well, we’ll tell you. From triggered to intrigued, our listeners’ responses run the gamut. And what’s the Olivia Munn of it all? We stan a queen who uses her platform to educate. So pull up a tuffet, grab a crumpet, and stay out of the comments sections, babes. Cancer for Breakfast is hosted by Amy Dials and Stefanie LeJeunesse, and is produced by Nathan McGehee.Our theme music is by Vyvyvyr. RATS theme song is by Jessica Boudreaux. Want to support the podcast? We’re on BuyMeACoffee and Patreon. We appreciate it so much when you rate, review or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, you can do that RIGHT HERE! Follow us on Instagram @cancerforbreakfastpodEmail us at cancerforbreakfast@gmail.com

It’s time for another Second Opinion! This one features friend of the podcast Flora, a metastatic PNET patient with an unexpected new living situation. First, hear the real deal about PNETs (Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor). She’ll tell us just how this wacky cancer functions, where you’ve heard of it, and why it’s an insidious foe. Then, put the mirrors on the ceiling and pop some pink champagne on ice! Flora generously tells us how surprising it is when hospice is (literally AND figuratively) just what the doctor ordered. What is happening to Flora is sad, for sure, but this is not a sad episode; it’s a closer look at the human condition, spirituality as medicine, and a chapter of life we will—ready or not—all face. With her humor and wisdom, she’s a sage for the ages. May we introduce you to a chaos goblin better known as Flora (and sometimes Fler)? Here is the Vermont organization Flora mentioned, which helps cancer people access cannabis: https://www.highly-rooted.com/vccnCancer for Breakfast is hosted by Amy Dials and Stefanie LeJeunesse, and is produced by Nathan McGehee.Our theme music is by Vyvyvyr. RATS theme song is by Jessica Boudreaux. Want to support the podcast? We’re on BuyMeACoffee and Patreon. We appreciate it so much when you rate, review or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, you can do that RIGHT HERE! Follow us on Instagram @cancerforbreakfastpodEmail us at cancerforbreakfast@gmail.com

Here’s the (sacred) dirt! Stef’s got a scan update, and it’s hard to node what to think! Is it cancer—or just a socially starved coworker? The trials and tribulations never end! Amy’s had a (don’t worry) breast biopsy (it’s not what it sounds like) and boy is this room dimly lit. Perhaps she needs an EMBER to light things up. In RATS, cancer cells in space grow at the figurative speed of light. Hey, some of us go to the moon to study cancer, and some of us just get cancer and go on NPR— guess which ones we are? The NPR ones! Check out Stef and Amy on OPB’s Think Out Loud, and then hear us appear again during their end of the year Best of 2023 episode! It was an honor just to be nominated! We’d like to thank our producer Nathan, and YOU for rating us! LA Times on the Chimayo dirt: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-04-13/they-come-to-this-new-mexico-shrine-in-search-of-miracles-and-some-holy-dirtCancer cells in space from the International Space Station: https://www.issnationallab.org/iss-national-lab-cancer-moonshot-initiative/Listen to us on Think Out Loud! https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/30/cancer-for-breakfast-stefanie-lejeunesse-amy-dials/?outputType=ampAnd stream the great round-up of producer faves: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/12/21/best-stories-of-2023/?outputType=amp

Close Your BonesIn the final chapter of our ongoing financial roller coaster, a hero arrives—in a white coat, not a cape. It’s a bird, it’s a plane…actually, is that Air Force One?! Then, a letter from a rectal cancer survivor whose fertility didn’t make it. How do we honor that grief and explore closure (literally)? Stef outs herself as a full moon hippie (we knew it, didn’t we, listeners?) and Amy’s biting on others’ cultural rituals? Amy! We’ve talked about this! Then, a *deeply* touchy topic with major science potential: harvesting hard-to-get tumors. The gals spitball how to help a study find its subjects. It’s body talk that no one knows how to broach. Ahem, yes we said BODIES (fair warning). And in RATS, a travel grant took Stef to the Lobular Breast Cancer Symposium and she’s back to tell the tale. What happens when you see yourself as a data point on a screen? In this case? It’s thrilling! This episode is dedicated to Rach. The full booklet of abstracts from the ILC Symposium is available for free here: http://ilcsymposium.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ILC2023_AbstractBooklet_v2.6_comp.pdfAnd the posters presented are available to download (PDFs) here: http://ilcsymposium.com/ilc-2023-posters

The Downward Spiral The cycle continues! Spin™️ Teachers — They’re Just Like Us! and Amy’s wheels are spinning. Stef’s got a twinge of doubt about how her upcoming scan will pan out, but two things are for sure: bills are high and morale is low going into this one. The gals remember a few fallen friends whose losses are looming large. Luckily, a letter writer brings us her ritual to combat scanxiety, along with a few examples of what not to say. RATS discusses new findings about cancer in 9/11 first responders. Now shake your lime green salt shaker over to Apple and leave us a review!