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

Cleveland Clinic Neuroendocrine Tumors

AACR Old New Borrowed and Blue, approaches for non small cell carcinoma

The Lancet - Lung cancer treatment: 20 years of progress

Pancreatic Cancer Breathrough

The full research paper is titled:

“Pancreatic cancer–restricted cryptic antigens are targets for T cell immunotherapy.”

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

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" (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://caratheauthor.com/

Find Cara on Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/cara.the.author/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCaraLockwood/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-lockwood-563b5040/

https://www.tiktok.com/@caratanamachi

🌟 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:

• 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】.

• Reuters — Lilly’s blood cancer drug meets main goal in late-stage study
• Daily Telegraph — 12-year-old Sydney boy’s inspiring brain tumour journey
• Fraunhofer — CAR-T cells fight solid tumors
• New York Post — Cancer vaccine may prevent recurrence of pancreatic/colorectal tumors
• The Australian — Prostate cancer guideline update
• Wikipedia — Theranostics overview
• Reuters — BioNTech/Bristol Myers immunotherapy trial
• Cure Today — New clinical trials launch as cancer studies advance
• The Times —

🌟 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

In this powerful episode of Let’s Talk Fng Cancer*, Colette and Julia sit down with Karen, who was diagnosed in April 2024 with lymphoma of the brain. What followed was months of intensive chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant at Stanford, and the battle of a lifetime.

Karen courageously shares her journey — from the frightening first symptoms to the shock of diagnosis, the grueling treatment process, and ultimately celebrating her one-year remission anniversary. She opens up about:

• How her diagnosis was discovered after unusual tremors led to an MRI
• The impact of treatment on her independence, daily life, and family
• Her visualization techniques during chemo that gave her strength and hope
• The importance of her medical team, her grandchildren, and her work “babies” in keeping her fighting spirit alive
• The emotional shift of going from “cancer patient” to reclaiming her life after treatment

Karen’s story is one of resilience, gratitude, and the power of never giving up.

🎧 Tune in for this inspiring conversation — and a reminder to celebrate every milestone, no matter how small.

Resources for Listeners:

• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Lymphoma of the Brain
• American Cancer Society – Understanding Brain Lymphoma
• CancerCare – Support Services for Lymphoma Patients
• Stanford Health Care – Stem Cell Transplant Information

💪 Six years cancer-free… but the fight never really ends.

This week on Let’s Talk Fng Cancer*, we sit down with Tammy — a Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer survivor — who opens up about the real life of survivorship.

She shares the raw truth most people don’t talk about:

⚡ Neuropathy that doesn’t go away

🌫 Brain fog that lingers

💔 Loss of strength, independence, and at times, autonomy

Tammy’s story is one of resilience, honesty, and shining light on the side of cancer that continues long after the last treatment.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation that survivors everywhere need you to hear.

[Link in bio]

#TripleNegativeBreastCancer #CancerSurvivor #LetsTalkFngCancer #WAYSstrongerTogether #CancerAwareness #Survivorship

In this deeply honest August Spotlight conversation, Tammy shares:

• The ongoing challenges of neuropathy, brain fog, and physical weakness
• The emotional toll of losing independence at times
• How survivorship is not a finish line, but a lifelong journey
• What she wishes more people understood about “life after cancer”

Tammy’s story is a powerful reminder that while the diagnosis may be in the past, the impact lasts forever — and survivors deserve support every step of the way.

🎧 Tune in to hear a survivor’s truth and why we must keep talking about what comes after treatment.

This week’s Professionals episode is a powerful and emotional collaboration with the remarkable Charlotte Bayala creator and host of The Cancer Caregiver Podcast.

Together, we’re giving voice to the truths caregivers often carry but rarely say out loud — the fear, the grief, the quiet resilience, and the love that stretches through even the hardest days.

This episode is raw, reflective, and full of insight for anyone in the cancer space — whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, or both.

Charlotte Bayala is a cancer caregiver advocate, breathwork coach, and the creator of the award nominated The Cancer Caregiver Podcast, a show dedicated to supporting the emotional and mental health of caregivers navigating a loved one’s cancer diagnosis. Drawing from over a decade of personal caregiving experience and more than 12 years as a yoga and meditation teacher, Charlotte helps caregivers prioritize their well-being with practical, compassionate tools they can actually use, especially on the hardest days.

Whether through her guided breathing meditations, workshops, or powerful storytelling, Charlotte brings a calm, grounded voice to caregiving conversations that are often overlooked. She’s on a mission to change how we support the people who are holding everything, and everyone, together.

Links:

www.cancercaregiverpodcast.com

Offers:

The Scanxiety Toolkit

www.cancercaregiverpodcast.com/tool

Instagram

The Cancer Caregiver