[HTML1] In this interview learn about how one copes with metastatic breast cancer and about some of the options for treatment.
Dr. Gracer interviews Anne Coscarelli, PhD for UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center, and Fern Saitowitz, who has been living with advanced breast cancer for the past two years. There is also a discussion with Cannon Milani, MD a cancer specialist in San Ramon, California, concerning the current treatment options for this serious condition.
October is breast cancer awareness month, which often emphasizes the fight against early stage disease. You do not always hear the stories of those women with metastatic breast cancer, and advanced form of the disease.
See a video with four women’s stories at FacesOfMBC.com.
More about Anne Coscarelli
Dr. Coscarelli received a PhD in clinical psychology with an emphasis in the psychology of women in 1980 and later received the Outstanding Alumna of the Year Award for her research in the area of psychosocial oncology. For 26 years Dr. Coscarelli has held faculty appointments at UCLA. She continues to serve as the founding Director of the Simms/Mann – UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology formerly the Ted Mann Family Resource Center since 1992 when she was recruited by the Dean of the School of Medicine and the Director of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. The Center is a unique model oriented toward comprehensive care of the patient and family integrating the psychological and mind-body perspective into what is traditionally exclusively biomedical care. Her goal has been to translate research conducted in multidisciplinary fields into the practice of caring for the whole patient with cancer.
More about Fern Saitowitz
Fern Saitowitz is a 45-year-old, scuba-diving mother of two children who never dreamed breast cancer would affect her. But in 2008, it did. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 HER2-positive breast cancer, a more aggressive type, only to find out a few months later it had spread to her lung and bones. Fran has endured a double-mastectomy, chemotherapy and treatment with a targeted therapy, and even participated in a clinical trial that could potentially pave the way for yet another treatment option. Through it all, Fran has remained positive, relishing moments with her children. Her advice is to assemble the very best treatment team to rally around you.
More about Cannon Milani
Dr. Milani graduated with honors from the University of California, Irvine. Spurred by his interest in the Humanities and European History, Dr. Milani lived in Europe for several years where he taught English. Ultimately, he discovered his passion for medicine and graduated from Jagiellonian University College of Medicine in Krakow, Poland. Dr. Milani completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Boston University. Moreover, he completed his Hematology/Oncology fellowship training at Brown University. He is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and American Society of Hematology (ASH). His areas of interest include benign and malignant hematology, thoracic oncology, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary cancers.
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