Welcome to our first "Our MBC Life Unplugged" episode, where we wrap up the fall season with an honest, unscripted conversation. What happens when someone is told they might actually be cured? It’s what we all dream of hearing, but when we started talking, it opened a Pandora’s box of questions and concerns:

Is a cure really possible?
Should I go off treatment?
What if the doctor is wrong and my cancer comes back?

This episode dives deep into these complexities and more. So, grab your favorite beverage and join us for a raw, heartfelt discussion you won’t want to miss.

If you’ve never heard of Postpartum Breast Cancer (PPBC) – well, you are not alone. This episode is a personal one for many on our podcast team – it is all about this little-known subset of breast cancer called Postpartum Breast Cancer (Postpartum means “following childbirth”) – how it happens, and why it creates a higher risk for metastatic spread and death. The doctors we interview here have proven that Postpartum Breast Cancer is a distinct category of breast cancer diagnosed in women within 10 years of having a baby. It affects 18,000 women in the US a year (that’s almost the same as ovarian cancer diagnoses in the US), and can happen across all subtypes, like hormone +/-, HER2+/-, or triple negative disease. *50%* of women diagnosed with breast cancer under age 45 in the US are actually diagnosed within a 10-year Postpartum window – 50%! Postpartum breast cancer also carries a higher risk for metastasis and death than breast cancer diagnosed outside this 10-year window. Now, Dr. Virginia Borges & Dr. Pepper Schedin are ready to move all their lab findings into the clinic by launching the first-in-human clinical trial to prevent Postpartum Breast Cancer – by giving healthy moms ibuprofen – yes, ibuprofen, for a brief period of time as they wean their babies from nursing. This is a groundbreaking clinical trial idea, with huge potential global impact, and they need the public's help to make it happen.
To learn more about this project and read the episode notes, visit our website, Our MBC Life.

Have you ever wondered how our cancer metastasizes? Why is it that some treatments just don’t work? Can we as patients living with MBC alter cellular level activity? In this episode, you will hear the answers to these questions and more. Join us as we take a step back to the basics of tumor microenvironment with our guest, Dr. Amy Beumer, who will break down the science to smaller, digestible bites. In this lively discussion, Dr. Amy explains the how and the why of this tough topic. You will hear her say “This is fun” and use engaging, relatable metaphors like “Picture your neighborhood and that one neighbor…..” By the end, I assure you that you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of tumor microenvironment than when you started.

Pull up a chair, listen in your car or on your daily walk, we are with you wherever you listen to your podcasts. Terms and other resources are provided in the episode notes on the episode web page, www.ourmbclife.org/episodes/tumor-microenvironment-dr-beumer.