Let's talk F*ng Cancer

Ep. 87 - Spotlight: Dee Dee colon cancer survivor and advocate

In this episode of Let’s Talk Fng Cancer Spotlight episode, we sit down with Dee Dee West, a colon cancer survivor whose journey reshaped not only her life, but her purpose. Dee Dee takes us back to life before cancer. The routines, the assumptions, and the moments she now looks at differently. She shares how she discovered her cancer, what the diagnostic and treatment process really looked like, and the physical and emotional toll that came with it. We talk candidly about mental health during and after cancer, the realities of survivorship, and how relationships can shift when illness enters the picture. Beyond survival, Dee Dee has become a powerful voice in colon cancer advocacy, using her platform to educate, raise awareness, and encourage others to listen to their bodies and advocate for their health. Through her advocacy work, she is helping change the narrative around colon cancer . We also explore how creativity became part of Dee Dee’s healing. She shares how launching her jewelry business allowed her to reconnect with herself, channel meaning into creation, and turn survival into something tangible and beautiful. This episode is honest, grounding, and deeply human — a reminder that survivorship is not an endpoint, but an ongoing journey of rebuilding, redefining, and reclaiming your life. Follow Dee Dee’s advocacy journey on Instagram: @colonfluencer Dee Dee's Etsy Shop: Sea West Studio [https://www.etsy.com/shop/SeaWestStudio]

Ep. 86 - November "What's New" in cancer news and research AND Congratulations Julia and Matt!

In this month’s “What’s New” episode, we kick things off with some joy — catching up on life, sharing big updates, and celebrating JULIA AND MATT GETTING MARRIED! 🥂✨  From there, we dive into the latest breakthroughs happening across the cancer research world. Each of us covers a different area of emerging science, treatment advancement, or clinical insight — and as always, we break it down in a way that’s real, relatable, and rooted in hope. 🧬 Julia: Understanding Carcinoid Tumors, 💨 Leah: How Far Lung Cancer Treatment Has Come — Especially in the Last 2 Years, 🔬 Colette: Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough — Cryptic Peptides Reveal New Targets Sources Below: Mayo Clinic Carcinoid Tumors [https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mayoclinic.org%2Fdiseases-conditions%2Fcarcinoid-tumors%2Fsymptoms-causes%2Fsyc-20351039&data=05%7C02%7C%7C50c4ace0852944dda06d08de288e4a60%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638992788752835306%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=G4el8xgKKHIN9m3aJ7XPas7rNXaOavTbY02bf3rc9ns%3D&reserved=0] Cleveland Clinic Neuroendocrine Tumors [https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmy.clevelandclinic.org%2Fhealth%2Fdiseases%2F22006-neuroendocrine-tumors-net&data=05%7C02%7C%7C50c4ace0852944dda06d08de288e4a60%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638992788752858294%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=uHUw4nylpptcRjjYRZvQLs1gzhif05zHbByMd2VdzAQ%3D&reserved=0] AACR Old New Borrowed and Blue, approaches for non small cell carcinoma [https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aacr.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F05%2F16%2Fold-new-borrowed-and-blue-clinical-trial-results-highlight-therapeutic-approaches-for-non-small-cell-lung-cancer%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C50c4ace0852944dda06d08de288e4a60%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638992788752876103%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ffZM83cs6%2BOhAKqBxDQpcFNoRd35cV2Tcewwo3uDGcU%3D&reserved=0] The Lancet - Lung cancer treatment: 20 years of progress [https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thelancet.com%2Fjournals%2Flancet%2Farticle%2FPIIS0140-6736(24)01299-6%2Ffulltext&data=05%7C02%7C%7C50c4ace0852944dda06d08de288e4a60%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638992788752893904%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4PnHYdE68qLL35yu8td4JkxK0MMrVBUoCfzkuBkkqss%3D&reserved=0] Pancreatic Cancer Breathrough [https://news.mit.edu/2025/biologists-identify-targets-new-pancreatic-cancer-treatments-0508?utm_source] The full research paper is titled: “Pancreatic cancer–restricted cryptic antigens are targets for T cell immunotherapy.” [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk3487]  Published in Science.  DOI: 10.1126/science.adk3487  Lead authors: Zackery Ely and Zachary Kulstad  Senior authors: Tyler Jacks and William Freed-Pastor This was summarized in the MIT News article: “Biologists identify targets for new pancreatic cancer treatments”  Written by Anne Trafton  Published May 8, 2025

Ep. 85 Cara Lockwood bestselling author and cancer survivor

When bestselling author Cara Lockwood was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in 2023, she didn’t look for inspiration in solemn pamphlets or dusty medical books. She looked for laughter, swearing, and straight talk — the kind of encouragement you get from your funniest, most unfiltered friend. In "There’s No Good Book for This but I Wrote One Anyway: The Irreverent Guide to Crushing Breast Cancer [https://caratanamachi.com/cara-lockwood-books]" (Oct. 1, 2025), Cara shares the gritty, absurd, and often hilarious truth about treatment, recovery, and life after a double mastectomy, chemo, and reconstruction. Part Memoir. Part Pep Talk. Part Screaming Into the Void. For Patients, Survivors, and the People Who Love Them Laugh, Cry, and Then Laugh Again Fighting for a Cure — One Book at a Time Get your copy Below: https://caratanamachi.com/no-good-book-for-this [https://caratanamachi.com/no-good-book-for-this] https://caratheauthor.com/ [https://caratheauthor.com/] Find Cara on Social Media https://www.instagram.com/cara.the.author/ [https://www.instagram.com/cara.the.author/] https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCaraLockwood/ [https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCaraLockwood/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-lockwood-563b5040/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-lockwood-563b5040/] https://www.tiktok.com/@caratanamachi [https://www.tiktok.com/@caratanamachi]

Ep. 84 - "Whats New In Cancer News and Research" September Childhood cancer, Blood cancer, Thyroid cancer, Ovarian and Gynecological cancers

🌟 September is HUGE for cancer awareness 🌟 This month shines the spotlight on: 🩸 Blood cancers 🎗️ Childhood cancer 🌸 Gynecologic & ovarian cancers 👨 Prostate cancer 🦋 Thyroid cancer In my latest What’s New solo episode, I’m diving into: ✅ Breakthrough drugs giving blood cancer patients longer remissions ✅ A 12-year-old’s inspiring story of targeted therapy success ✅ CAR-T therapies expanding into ovarian cancer ✅ New prostate cancer screening guidelines ✅ The rise of precision medicine & theranostics ✅ Futuristic innovations like synthetic drug factories inside the body 🤯 💪 Research is moving fast, and awareness saves lives. Tune in to learn, get inspired, and spread the hope.#LetsTalkFnCancer #CancerAwarenessMonth #CancerResearch #Podcast #CancerBreakthroughs sources: HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS EPISODE: * Blood cancers: Eli Lilly’s Jaypirca helps CLL/SLL patients live longer without progression; CAR-T therapy delivers remission for aggressive lymphoma 【web†source】. * Childhood cancer: A 12-year-old’s brain tumor stabilized after a targeted melanoma drug via the ZERO program in Sydney 【web†source】. * Gynecologic & ovarian cancers: CAR-T therapy expands into solid tumors; Eli-002 cancer vaccine shows strong KRAS-targeted immune responses 【web†source】. * Prostate cancer: Proposed guidelines could lower PSA screening age to 40, paired with MRI for more precise detection 【web†source】. * Thyroid cancer: Theranostics—blending diagnostics and therapy—emerges as a precision medicine frontier 【web†source】. * Broader innovations: New immunotherapies, remote clinical trials, synthetic drug factories, and research to prevent recurrence in breast cancer 【web†source】. SOURCES: * Reuters — Lilly’s blood cancer drug meets main goal in late-stage study [https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/lillys-blood-cancer-drug-meets-main-goal-late-stage-study-2025-09-08/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Daily Telegraph — 12-year-old Sydney boy’s inspiring brain tumour journey [https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/12yearold-sydney-boys-inspiring-brain-tumour-journey/news-story/44e1774e5a1808853c6e5c205ab673d0?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Fraunhofer — CAR-T cells fight solid tumors [https://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2025/september-2025/car-t-cells-fight-solid-tumors.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * New York Post — Cancer vaccine may prevent recurrence of pancreatic/colorectal tumors [https://nypost.com/2025/08/17/health/cancer-vaccine-may-prevent-recurrence-of-pancreatic-colorectal-tumors/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * The Australian — Prostate cancer guideline update [https://www.theaustralian.com.au/health/medical/tim-hopes-proposed-new-prostate-cancer-guidelines-mean-fewer-men-end-up-like-him/news-story/08e3be29097024166c07a86b450f57ee?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Wikipedia — Theranostics overview [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theranostics?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Reuters — BioNTech/Bristol Myers immunotherapy trial [https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biontech-bristol-myers-immunotherapy-shows-encouraging-tumour-shrinkage-phase-ii-2025-09-08/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Cure Today — New clinical trials launch as cancer studies advance [https://www.curetoday.com/view/new-clinical-trials-launch-as-cancer-treatment-studies-advance?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * The Times — Remote-controlled synthetic cells for cancer treatment [https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/remote-controlled-synthetic-cells-cancer-treatment-cx3tgq5h3?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Penn Medicine — Pioneering strategy to prevent breast cancer recurrence [https://www.pennmedicine.org/News/pioneering-strategy-may-keep-breast-cancer-from-coming-back?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Ep. 83 - Spotlight: Anne, Triple Positive Breast Cancer, a journey of Nerve Blocks a Divorce, Curling and 5 yrs CANCER FREE

🌟 Spotlight Episode: Anne’s Story 🌟 This week on Let’s Talk Fng Cancer*, we spotlight Anne — a triple positive breast cancer survivor with an incredible story of strength and healing. Anne began her treatment right at the start of COVID, enduring her diagnosis during one of the most isolating times imaginable. After completing treatment, she faced another life-altering challenge: a divorce. Through it all, Anne found her path forward. She embraced therapy, focused on her health, and — during recovery — discovered the sport of curling, which gave her both joy and community. Today, she’s standing stronger than ever, with a powerful message about resilience and rebuilding life after cancer. Her journey shows us that survivorship is about more than getting through treatment — it’s about finding new strength, purpose, and connection. 💪✨ Kaiser, Dr Bodai- Cancer Recovery and Survivorship [https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/cancer-care/recovery]