Delivering a Cancer-Free Frontier

On this episode, Huntsman Cancer Institute researchers and patients share how scientific discoveries, clinical trials, and targeted therapies extend lives—and offer hope.

In the United States, women have a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. But some women, due to genetic and biological factors, are at a higher risk. Most women are familiar with getting preventative, annual mammograms starting at 40, as risk increases with age. But what about women who are higher risk? How can they understand their chances of developing the disease? And what should they do to decrease their cancer risk? On this episode of Delivering a Cancer-free Frontier, we’re discussing Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Risk Clinic. Oncologist Dr. Vera Kazakova, MD and genetic counselor Whitney Maxwell, CGC, MS go through the options available for women at high risk—and how they tailor choices to each individual woman’s needs.

More inherited genes for cancer have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than anywhere else in the world—thanks to one of our most valuable resources, the Utah Population Database (UPDB). UPDB director Nicola Camp, PhD, guides us through how this unique system works and how its researchers impact the people of Utah and beyond. Plus, Lisa Cannon-Albright, PhD, discusses the visionaries who started the project back in the 1970s.

In this episode, we discuss how Huntsman Cancer Institute is advancing cancer care in rural areas through mobile medicine and telehealth. We travel along with the mobile screening clinic to the Utah/Nevada border town of Wendover, and Dr. Tracy Onega tackles how telehealth can keep patients connected to their oncologists in urban areas.Music composed by Mix at Six and Artlist.

In this episode, we explore significant discoveries in breast cancer screening, treatment, and research at Huntsman Cancer Institute. Jessica Rivera, a breast cancer survivor, shares her story. ​Dr. Phoebe Freer discusses advances in breast cancer screening, and Dr. Alana Welm explains her team's efforts to understand metastasis in an aggressive form of the disease. Music composed by Mix at Six and Artlist.

In this episode, we're talking artificial intelligence. What is it? And how are we using AI to push the limits of cancer care? Huntsman Cancer Institute's Dr. Jonathan Tward joins us for an in-depth conversation about the possibilities of AI. This episode also features Taylor Smedley, Director of Visitor Experience & Community Engagement at the Leonardo, a museum in downtown Salt Lake City.Theme composed by Mix at Six. Additional music from Artlist.

In this episode, we explore expanding efforts to offer fertility preservation options to adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients. Cancer treatment can affect many young patients' reproductive systems — but with planning and careful consultation, there is hope that they can still be parents. ​Dr. Doug Fair and Dawn Ritzwoller discuss their experiences and advocacy in this area. Music composed by Mix at Six and Blue Dot Sessions.