Symptoms Spotlight: Blood Clots with Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk

Symptoms Spotlight: Blood Clots with Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk

In this episode of Symptoms Spotlights, hosts Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk, a metastatic breast cancer patient and a registered nurse living with MBC, dive deep into one of the most serious yet underdiscussed risks facing cancer patients: blood clots (thrombus). Melanie breaks down the science behind how blood clots form, where they can occur in the body including the lungs, brain, heart, and legs, and what terms like DVT, pulmonary embolism, and ischemic stroke actually mean for patients. Abigail shares her own experience being diagnosed with two blood clots in her heart, discovered during a routine echocardiogram while on Enhertu, and what she wishes she had known earlier. In this episode, you'll learn why cancer patients face a 3 to 4 times higher risk of blood clots than the general population, how treatments like tamoxifen, CDK4/6 inhibitors, and chemotherapy increase clot risk, the signs and symptoms to watch for and when to seek immediate care, how ports can be an unexpected risk factor, practical prevention tips including compression stockings and movement breaks during travel, and when to ask for a hematology specialist rather than relying solely on your oncologist. Whether you're newly diagnosed or years into your MBC journey, this episode will help you understand your risk, advocate for yourself, and know when something feels off. Nothing shared in this episode is medical advice. Always consult your healthcare team. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and leave a review — it really helps. Follow us on social media @livefromstage4 and visit our website at www.livefromstage4.org [http://www.livefromstage4.org/] for show notes and links.  Your support helps us continue to share important stories and advocate for those living with metastatic breast cancer. Until next time, take care and keep pushing for progress.

Developing Story: Your Cancer's DNA and the Trial Using It to Cure You with Dr. Pedram Razavi

What if metastatic breast cancer didn't have to mean a lifetime of treatment? For a subset of HER2-positive patients, that question is no longer hypothetical. In this episode of Live from Stage 4, hosts Victoria Goldberg and Dr. Ellen Landsberger sit down with Dr. Pedram Razavi, breast oncologist, translational researcher, and principal investigator at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, to discuss his groundbreaking Phase 2 clinical trial, the HERizon Breast Trial. Dr. Razavi breaks down how liquid biopsy and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are changing what's possible in metastatic breast cancer, from detecting microscopic disease invisible to scans, to setting a new gold standard for treatment response: molecular complete response, sensitive enough to find one cancer cell among a million. This is one of our most science-heavy episodes, so we've built in plain-language explainers throughout, covering liquid biopsy, ctDNA, tumor-informed assays, epigenomics, the blood-brain barrier, CNS metastasis, and antibody drug conjugates. No medical degree required. The HERizon Breast Trial is currently enrolling. If you or someone you know has HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, this episode could be directly relevant to your care. 🔬 Topics covered: * What is liquid biopsy and ctDNA? * The difference between panel testing and tumor-informed (bespoke) assays * What "molecular complete response" means and why it's a higher bar than a clean scan * The HERizon Breast Trial: design, goals, and who qualifies * Could treatment de-escalation become a reality for metastatic breast cancer? Share this one. Someone out there needs to hear it. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and leave a review — it really helps. Follow us on social media @livefromstage4 and visit our website at www.livefromstage4.org [http://www.livefromstage4.org/] for show notes and links.  Your support helps us continue to share important stories and advocate for those living with metastatic breast cancer. Until next time, take care and keep pushing for progress.

Symptoms Spotlight: Vaginal Dryness with Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk

In this episode of Symptoms Spotlight, hosts Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk take an honest and personal look at one of the most common yet least talked about side effects of metastatic breast cancer treatment: vaginal dryness. Both living with MBC, Abigail and Melanie share what has worked for them, from water-based lubricants and coconut oil to topical lidocaine cream and low-dose estradiol. They talk openly about the emotional toll of painful intimacy, the importance of a supportive partner, and the challenge of finding the right provider to have these conversations with. The episode also explores a question many MBC patients wrestle with: is vaginal estrogen safe when your cancer is estrogen receptor positive? Podcast team member and retired OB-GYN Dr. Ellen Landsberger weighs in with the latest clinical evidence, including findings from a 2025 systematic review published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, offering cautious reassurance along with practical guidance on recommended formulations. Whether you are newly navigating these symptoms or have been managing them for years, this episode reminds you that you are not alone, that options exist, and that talking about it is the first step. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and leave a review — it really helps. Follow us on social media @livefromstage4 and visit our website at www.livefromstage4.org [http://www.livefromstage4.org/] for show notes and links.  Your support helps us continue to share important stories and advocate for those living with metastatic breast cancer. Until next time, take care and keep pushing for progress.

Developing Story: The Trial That Dares to Say Cure with Dr. Lior Braunstein

We've always been told that metastatic breast cancer can't be cured, only managed. But what if that's no longer the whole story? In this episode of Live from Stage 4, hosts Victoria Goldberg and Dr. Ellen Landsberger sit down with Dr. Lior Braunstein, a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, to talk about the ARCHER trial, a first-of-its-kind clinical study asking a bold question: can surgery and radiation, added on top of standard HER2-targeted therapy, eradicate every last cancer cell in patients with oligometastatic HER2-positive breast cancer? Dr. Braunstein breaks down what "oligometastatic" really means, why HER2-positive disease is uniquely positioned for this kind of approach, what ablative radiation to the liver or lungs actually involves, and why the word "cure" makes oncologists nervous, even when it might be warranted. We also cover: * What the ARCHER trial is looking for in eligible patients * Why previous trials failed to answer this question * How cancer develops resistance and why treating visible disease early may be the key * The role of AI in matching patients to clinical trials * What comes next if the trial succeeds Who should listen: Anyone living with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, their caregivers, oncology professionals, and anyone who believes patients deserve to hear the hard questions asked out loud. 🔗 Find the ARCHER trial: search "ARCHER trial breast cancer" at clinicaltrials.gov 📝 Show notes and resources at https://www.livefromstage4.org/ Nothing in this episode constitutes medical advice. Please consult your own medical team before making any decisions about Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and leave a review — it really helps. Follow us on social media @livefromstage4 and visit our website at www.livefromstage4.org [http://www.livefromstage4.org/] for show notes and links.  Your support helps us continue to share important stories and advocate for those living with metastatic breast cancer. Until next time, take care and keep pushing for progress.

Developing Story: CureWise Goes Live - The AI Platform Built by Cancer Patients, for Cancer Patients

Last time, we had a front row seat to a vision. This time, that vision has a launch date. On June 20th, CureWise officially launched, and for every cancer patient who walks into an oncologist's office with ten minutes and no idea what to ask, it couldn't come at a better time. In this episode of Live From Stage 4, Victoria Goldberg sits down with Steve Brown (founder & CEO of CureWise) and Lisa Booth (metastatic breast cancer advocate and CureWise's patient #2) to talk about what it actually means to have an AI platform that knows your full medical history, speaks your language, and helps you show up to your appointments prepared and empowered. Also joining us: Beta users Lynda Weatherby (MBC patient and Live From Stage 4  team memberr) and her husband Todd Weatherby (CEO of Siemens Advanta, former VP at AWS), bringing the real-world patient and caregiver perspective to the conversation. In this episode: * How CureWise pulls your medical records from multiple institutions automatically * The Cross-Check feature: asking ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini the same question simultaneously * Why 60% of cancer patients have an actionable mutation, but only 15% are being treated for it * How to prepare for your oncology appointment using AI * The caregiver experience and what's coming next on the roadmap * Pricing, the 7-day free trial, and how to get started Important note: CureWise is not a doctor. It is a powerful tool to help you understand your medical records and have better conversations with your care team. All medical decisions should be made with your physician. 🔗 Sign up at www.curewise.com [http://www.curewise.com/] Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and leave a review — it really helps. Follow us on social media @livefromstage4 and visit our website at www.livefromstage4.org [http://www.livefromstage4.org/] for show notes and links.  Your support helps us continue to share important stories and advocate for those living with metastatic breast cancer. Until next time, take care and keep pushing for progress.