The story of cancer is changing quickly.

Just in the last month, two news stories brought positive developments:

The first was a groundbreaking new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer, which was just given approval by the FDA here in the US - it doubles the survival time for patients. And then, a new cancer vaccine for melanoma showed great results for patients in a large clinical trial.

There’s hope here, for sure.

But all of this has made me wonder about the nature of cancer survivorship. I saw my mom struggle with this during her cancer journey, and have talked to other survivors about their experiences too. What I saw and heard was that survivorship comes with its own weight, one that doesn't get nearly the support or attention that it deserves.

Surviving a cancer diagnosis is a big deal - no doubt about it - but there’s a shadow here. And it is most definitely overlooked.

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What happens next after treatment is where this episode begins, and it features my conversation with Dr Mercedes Castiel, who is the founder of Cancer Care Concierge, and whose long career includes building one of the earliest women’s cancer survivorship programs in the US, at Memorial Sloane Kettering hospital in New York.
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I talked to Dr Castiel for a live taping of Overlooked, at the Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer (CCOCR) this past spring in Vancouver, British Columbia.

CCOCR was organized by Ovarian Cancer Canada, an exemplary advocacy organization, and was hosted this year at the University of British Columbia, by the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative, which is doing world-class, needle-moving work on the science of ovarian cancer.

Dr Castiel and I had an in-depth conversation on cancer survivorship in front of a live audience at this conference, and we talked about the struggles survivors face, including:

• the financial burden that cancer patients deal with
• sexual health issues
• caregiver burnout and a lack of support
• a sense of loss, and anxiety - survivors are somehow always looking over their shoulder

I also gave the live audience prompts to share their own story, asking - what does the term 'quality of life' mean to you, and what has your survivorship entailed? You can use these prompts too, if you want to share your experience of survivorship, via email or voice memo. In this episode you’ll hear experiences from three women who shared their story:

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What to listen to next for a deeper dive

Overlooked’s body of work on cancer and women's health is pretty wide-ranging, here’s a selection of resources:

​A full hysterectomy could prevent cancer - but it also kickstarts menopause: Pamela Esposito-Amery’s story. Pamela is also the founder of Tell Every Amazing Lady, a New York-based advocacy organization for ovarian and gynecologic cancer.

​Discovering a borderline tumor in your 20s, with Lucy Rudd​

​Knowing, and facing your cancer risk, with Michelle Zimmerman​

​Ovarian Cancer Series: Listening to the body - this episode features stories of ovarian cancer survivors, and was made possible by the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation, a Chicago-based advocacy organization for ovarian cancer.

​HPV, cervical cancer and the at-home screening test that could save your life, with Dr Anita Lim. If you've read this recent news story about how the NHS is rolling out free cervical testing kits in England, listening to this episode will give you the background.

​What is cancer survivorship, with Teresa Arthur, a.k.a Mom​

That last one is a conversation that my mom and I had when she was alive, where she reflected on her own cancer journey and what quality of life, and survivorship meant to her. I can’t re-listen to this episode - I’m just not ready to hear mum’s voice on tape again - and anyway her voice is in my head so much these days. But if you're a Teresa fan, it's a good episode to listen to. September is ovarian cancer awareness month and this year, I approach it with a heavy heart. I’m biased of course, but she was one of the strongest, most knowledgeable advocates I know when it came to ovarian cancer. I'm committed to carrying on this work in her name.

Here's a pic that makes me happy.

What else is going on:

I read this fascinating story on something called rapamycin: The Experimental Fertility Treatment Dividing IVF Physicians, in a piece by award-winning science communicator Kristel Tjandra.

If you’re interested in how doctors think and how they’re trained (I’m gradually becoming obsessed with this btw) you’ll find this interesting: Breakthroughs, a podcast from the Feinberg School of Medicine, features conversations with the people behind the science, and this episode about ‘bedside medicine’ and why it’s important, kept me listening all the way through.

Wishing you the best of health,

Golda