Live from Stage 4: MBC News for Us, by Us

Join us for a powerful conversation with Dr. Rebecca Shatsky, Director of Breast Medical Oncology at UC San Diego, as she shares her experiences fighting for patients with breast cancer. In this episode, Dr. Shatsky discusses the growing challenges clinicians face—from insurance denials and funding cuts to the emotional toll of burnout and the spread of cancer misinformation.

Hear real stories about advocating for life-saving treatments, navigating the complexities of clinical trials, and the importance of patient empowerment. Dr. Shatsky also offers hope, highlighting the latest breakthroughs in metastatic breast cancer research and the progress being ma...

In this episode, hosts Victoria Goldberg and Abigail Johnston sit down with Samira Daswani, host of "The Patient From Hell" podcast, for a candid and insightful conversation about patient advocacy, storytelling, and the evolving landscape of cancer care. Samira shares her path from reluctant podcast guest to passionate host, highlighting the importance of amplifying patient voices and democratizing information for those navigating cancer diagnoses—especially in communities where open discussion is rare.
The discussion delves into the challenges of reaching diverse audiences, the power of authentic, minimally edited conversations, and the need for both scientific and personal perspectives in...

In today's episode, the first in our ongoing “Live Chat” series — informal conversations with members of the medical community, advocates, and patients about what matters most to them and to us, hosts Victoria Goldberg and Dr. Ellen Landsberger are joined by Dr. Sherry Shen, a breast cancer medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, for a clear, patient-centered conversation on the evolving role of SERDs (Selective Estrogen Receptor Degraders) in hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer.

Dr. Shen explains the science behind SERDs, the importance of ESR1 mutations, and why oral SERDs are generating excitement. We review r...

This is the first episode of the recurring MBC Insiders series created by and starring the podcast team. In the first episode, published on October 13th, the National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, we meet seven panelists with 80+ years  living with Metastatic Breast Cancer between them and they are here to share the hard-won wisdom of true MBC insiders.  We'll explore the issues that matter most to people living with MBC, including how the language clinicians and media use can harm or help, and candid conversations about progression and the idea of "cure."

Joining Victoria Goldberg:

In this episode of "Live from Stage 4: MBC News for Us, by Us," host Victoria Goldberg sits down with Dr. Gloria Echeverria, a leading researcher at Baylor College of Medicine, to discuss the urgent challenges facing cancer research in the United States. Dr. Echeverria shares her career path  from PhD student to running her own lab, focusing on triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)—one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of the disease.

The conversation delves into the real-world impact of federal funding cuts on scientific research, the importance of diversifying funding sources, and the ripple eff...

What if the decades of progress against cancer — the breakthroughs, the rising survival rates, the new vaccines and cutting‑edge therapies — were suddenly put in jeopardy? Five decades after the “war on cancer” began, the U.S. has built a world‑class research engine that has pushed survival from roughly 49% in the 1970s to about 68% today. But that hard‑won momentum now faces existential threats: canceled grants and clinical trials, proposals to slash the National Cancer Institute budget, and an unprecedented politicization of biomedical research funding.

In this episode we ask the urgent question: can we protect cancer researc...

In this powerful panel episode, hosts Victoria Goldberg and Abigail Johnston  are joined by Dr. Jill Tirabassi and Alexis Desai—each bringing their unique perspective as patients, advocates, and experts living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Together, they share personal stories about navigating diagnosis, the critical role of research in extending lives, and the real-world challenges of accessing clinical trials.

The conversation dives deep into why research funding matters, how advocacy can drive change, and the urgent need for patient-centered care. Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, or ally, this episode offers insight, hope, and a call to ac...