Advancing Breast Cancer Care for Hispanic Women

Name: Advancing Breast Cancer Care for Hispanic Women
Uploaded: 2025-01-21T13:49:14.81Z
Duration: 29 min

January 21, 2025

ID12642

To CiteDCA Citation Guide

00:00Funding for Yale Cancer Answers
00:02is provided by Smilow Cancer
00:04Hospital.
00:06Welcome to Yale Cancer Answers
00:08with the director of
00:09Yale Cancer Center, doctor Eric Winer.
00:12Yale Cancer Answers features conversations with oncologists
00:15and specialists who are on
00:16the forefront of the battle
00:17to fight cancer.
00:18This week, doctor Tracy Battaglia
00:20is filling in for doctor
00:21Winer for a conversation about
00:23breast cancer surgery
00:25and some of the racial
00:26disparities that exist in breast
00:27cancer care with doctor Monica
00:29Valero.
00:30Doctor Valero is an assistant
00:32professor of surgical oncology at
00:33the Yale School of Medicine.
00:35Here's doctor Battaglia.
00:37So why don't you tell
00:38us a little bit about
00:38yourself,
00:39your area of expertise in
00:41surgical oncology, and what brought
00:42you to this field?
00:46I am a breast cancer
00:47surgeon
00:48specialized
00:49primarily in breast cancer and
00:52lesions of the breast.
00:54I have been working as
00:56an assistant professor of surgery
00:59since twenty nineteen.
01:02I'm passionate about the care of
01:04breast cancer, specifically because of
01:06the multidisciplinary
01:08team and multidisciplinary
01:09care that is involved.
01:11Additionally, I feel like it's
01:12a field where
01:16research continues
01:17to evolve, and I feel
01:19very passionate to join breast
01:21cancer treatment since I was
01:23very young during medical school.
01:25And, so thank you for
01:27sharing that. I know that
01:28our paths crossed in Boston,
01:30but you're here in Connecticut
01:31now. Can you tell us
01:32a little bit about your
01:33training and your path to
01:34getting to Yale Cancer Center
01:36and caring for patients here
01:37in Connecticut?
01:38Yes. So I did my
01:40research in breast cancer and
01:42my training in general surgery
01:43at Brigham and Women's Hospital
01:45in Boston, Massachusetts.
01:47During that time
01:49I was very lucky to
01:50cross path with you. And
01:51and then I
01:52started my career as an
01:54assistant professor
01:56at the Beth Israel Deaconess
01:57Medical Center, where I spent
01:59three years as a
02:01junior faculty.
02:05Most recently,
02:07I have had the
02:08privilege to join
02:10the Yale Breast Cancer department
02:14here where I had the
02:15opportunity to
02:17circle back and work again
02:18with my prior mentors
02:21and it has been an
02:22amazing
02:25time. And it's great to
02:27be working with.
02:33Well, we're lucky to have
02:34you here in Connecticut.
02:37I want to go back to a comment
02:38that you made about
02:39the kind of rapidly
02:41evolving field and excitement
02:42in the field. NOTE Confidence: 0.9747726
02:44Cancer care
02:46is a rapidly evolving field
02:48in all fields, whether it
02:49be surgical oncology, medical oncology,
02:52or radiation oncology.
02:55Can you tell us a
02:55little bit about
02:58the innovations in the surgical
03:00care of breast cancer patients
03:02and what you're most excited
03:03about for the future?
03:05Tracy, as you
03:06know,
03:07in breast cancer, we work
03:09hand to hand,
03:11surgery, medical oncology, and radiation
03:13oncology.
03:13And as you already mentioned,
03:15this field continues to
03:17evolve with a growing focus
03:19on balancing effective care with
03:21quality of life. So the
03:23multidisciplinary
03:24teams are working towards the
03:26deescalation
03:27of surgical procedures that are
03:29not going to impact
03:31additional recommendations or additional
03:33treatment.
03:34In this way, we reduce
03:36the physical and emotional burden
03:38of patients while
03:39simultaneously,
03:41we escalate in adjuvant therapies
03:43such as targeted treatments, immunotherapy
03:46to achieve optimal outcomes with
03:47less invasive approaches.
03:49So this has been,
03:51you know,
03:52great, especially for patients to
03:55have better quality of life
03:56with better outcomes in terms of decreasing
03:59chances of breast cancer
04:01recurrence.
04:02So you used some terms
04:04there that I wanna unpack
04:05a little bit, and maybe
04:06you can give us some
04:07examples
04:09of deescalation
04:11of surgical approaches because when
04:13I was training
04:14many, many years ago,
04:16you know, surgery was the
04:17first line of treatment for
04:19breast cancer and
04:20some pretty invasive surgical
04:22approaches
04:24to treat breast cancer. So
04:26maybe you can just comment
04:27and tell our listeners
04:29a little bit more about
04:29what you mean by
04:30deescalation of surgical approaches?
04:33Yes. So as you mentioned,
04:34you know, back in the
04:35days, it was like one
04:36surgery fits all. There was
04:38the same surgery for everyone.
04:39With more research, we have
04:41learned
04:42that surgery is going to
04:43be targeted to tumor subtypes.
04:46And what I'm
04:47trying to say, with the
04:49deescalation
04:49of surgical procedures
04:51sometimes there's surgeries
04:53that are
04:55not going to provide any
04:57information that we're going to
04:58use
04:59to tailor the treatment.
05:01And we are avoiding and
05:03doing less surgeries, avoiding morbidity,
05:07and side effects.
05:08For example, right now
05:11we have recent
05:12data about
05:14trials
05:15where we are omitting
05:16axillary staging or surgery under
05:19the arm.
05:20And this is in specific
05:22cases where
05:23the information from the lymph
05:25nodes is not going to
05:26impact the treatment
05:27for those patients.
05:29And so what does that
05:30translate to from the patient's
05:32perspective?
05:33Translating less time in the
05:34operating room? Less
05:37chances for having side effects
05:39on the arm, less chances
05:40for having arm swelling, better
05:42recovery?
05:43So it's all
05:46with the goal to improve
05:47quality of care.
05:49So that's really helpful. Those
05:51examples, I think, are really
05:52helpful for us to sort
05:53of get our heads around
05:54what we mean.
05:58You also mentioned the
05:59acceleration or escalation
06:01of adjuvant therapy
06:04before surgery. Can you talk
06:05a little bit about that
06:06and how that's different now
06:07than it was before?
06:08Yes.
06:09So with the evolution
06:11of medical therapy, systemic therapy,
06:14and immunotherapy,
06:15now we can target
06:17specific cancer with a specific
06:18therapist, avoiding giving
06:20the one size fits all.
06:22So now we know that
06:23there are specific medications that
06:25are going to be targeted
06:26to a specific cancer subtype,
06:28and this is going to
06:29allow for some cancers
06:31to even downgrade or
06:33shrink before surgery, allowing for
06:36smaller surgeries, not only on
06:37the breast, but also under
06:38the arm.
06:40So perhaps a message to
06:42our listeners
06:43who perhaps are dealing
06:46themselves or family member with
06:47a breast cancer diagnosis, understanding
06:49your tumor
06:50and it's what you call
06:52subtype is an important step
06:53towards understanding
06:55what options you have surgically
06:57and otherwise. Is that fair to say?
06:58Yes, I think
07:00that's totally fair to say.
07:01That's great.
07:04I wanna ask you a
07:06little bit about
07:07the current
07:11incidence of breast cancer.
07:14And many of us are
07:15hearing more and more of
07:17cases and colleagues and friends
07:19and family members who are
07:20developing breast cancer early,
07:23younger than before.
07:24And I wonder if you
07:25can comment a little bit
07:26on sort of the rising
07:28incidence in younger populations with
07:30breast cancer.
07:31Yeah. So I think the
07:33incidence of breast cancer,
07:36there is evidence that it is
07:37arising. It continues to
07:39rise. And specifically in the
07:40younger population, although
07:43for the younger population, they're
07:44still reminded to be
07:46less common compared to the
07:47older groups.
07:48Breast cancer, the natural history
07:51of breast cancer is
07:52this is a disease of
07:53the older population, not of
07:55the younger populations.
07:56But I think right now,
07:58nowadays, there are several factors
08:00that may be contributing
08:02to the trend.
08:04And I think some of
08:05them could be just lifestyle
08:06and environmental factors.
08:08We know that there is
08:09a rise in obesity and
08:10sedentary lifestyles.
08:12It has been well
08:13reported that increased rates of
08:15obesity,
08:17even at younger ages, is
08:18linked to higher risk for
08:19breast cancer.
08:21Also, as women
08:23continue to be in
08:25the professional area, we're
08:27seeing delay with childbearing.
08:30And we're also seeing an
08:31increase of alcohol consumption,
08:33and a different diet,
08:35a more processed diet. So
08:36to start, lifestyle and
08:37environmental factors that are modifiable,
08:40and we have seen
08:41a link
08:42with an increase in
08:43breast cancer.
08:45On the other side, I
08:46think it's not only
08:47increasing the disease, it's also
08:49the fact that we
08:51have better imaging.
08:53Right? So we have improved
08:54detection.
08:55We're also doing
08:57good work in awareness of
08:59breast cancer screening. So I
09:00think there are more women
09:02that are
09:04very efficiently getting mammograms on
09:06time, and we have better
09:08quality of imaging. So I
09:10think the combination of those
09:11two are allowing us to
09:12see
09:13and detect more cancers at
09:15an earlier stage too.
09:17That's great. So it's complicated.
09:19It's not too straightforward. So,
09:21I wonder, you're
09:23a cancer
09:25treatment doctor, right? So you
09:26see patients after they have
09:28a cancer diagnosis.
09:29And so, I also know
09:31and you mentioned in your
09:32opening remarks, that you're passionate
09:33about
09:35awareness
09:35and access to care. So
09:37I wonder if you can
09:38talk a little bit about
09:41cancer screening and
09:43sort of any prevention or
09:45you mentioned the word modifiable
09:47sort of risk factors.
09:49What are some messages you
09:51can give our audience around
09:53breast cancer prevention and early
09:55detection and your experience with
09:57screening?
09:58With screening,
09:59right now there are a
10:00few guidelines in
10:03breast cancer. I will say
10:04my practice, I follow the
10:07NTCN guideline,
10:09which recommends that
10:11for an average risk women,
10:13and when I say we
10:14try to say with average
10:16risk women, are those women
10:18without personal or strong family
10:20history of breast cancer and
10:21without any genetic mutation or
10:23prior history of breast cancer.
10:24So that will be the
10:26overall population.
10:27And for the overall
10:29population,
10:30it is recommended that women
10:31start with annual screening mammography
10:33at the age of forty.
10:36There is another group, which
10:37is the higher risk women.
10:38These are the women that
10:41have genetic predispositions.
10:43They're well known BRCA one
10:45and two mutations
10:46or have a strong family
10:48history of breast cancer,
10:50prior history of chest radiation,
10:53between the ages of ten
10:55to thirty,
10:56or those that have
10:58biopsies in their breast that
11:00return with high risk lesions.
11:02Those women's have a higher
11:04risk of developing breast cancer
11:05in the future, and they
11:06should be managed in a
11:07different way. They need
11:09increased
11:10screening and follow-up.
11:11So it is recommended
11:13that these women
11:16obtain annual mammography,
11:19and the majority,
11:20specifically for the ones
11:22with the genetic predispositions
11:23or those that have
11:25an increased risk higher than
11:26twenty percent, and I can
11:28dive into that in a
11:28little bit, it is recommended
11:30that I alternate the MRIs
11:32with the mammograms every six
11:33months, meaning
11:35these women's will obtain a
11:36mammogram
11:37and then an MRI six
11:39months later. So, one imaging
11:40each year. And of course,
11:42clinical breast exam follow.
11:45So what I'm hearing you
11:46say is sort of a
11:47really powerful message to our
11:48listeners.
11:49You know, even
11:50if you don't have cancer,
11:53understanding your personal risk of
11:54developing
11:55breast cancer can guide you
11:57on the appropriate screening regimen
11:59for yourself.
12:00And so we can't go
12:01through every scenario
12:03this evening in our conversation
12:05to understand what
12:07path
12:07individuals might take depending on
12:10their risk, but just understanding
12:11their risk
12:12is an important step forward.
12:14You mentioned genetic predisposition, and
12:16I wonder if you can
12:17talk a little bit about
12:19genetic
12:20predisposition
12:21to breast cancer.
12:23Yeah, I will say,
12:25the majority of the breast
12:26cancers
12:27are non genetically driven. So
12:29it's a small percentage,
12:31about five to ten percent
12:33of women's that
12:35present with breast cancer that
12:37will have a genetic mutation.
12:39These cancers
12:41usually are seen in women
12:42that have a very significant
12:44family history of breast cancer
12:45or breast cancer diagnosis at a
12:47very young age.
12:48And the genetic testing would
12:50allow us to understand if
12:52there is any genetic mutation
12:53that is making them more
12:54prone to develop another cancer
12:56down the road. So that's
12:58why these women will have
12:59a different and separate type
13:00of screening
13:02and surveillance
13:03down the road.
13:05Well, that's certainly a lot
13:06of information for us to
13:10understand and sort of take
13:11in. Unfortunately, we have
13:13to take a one minute
13:14break.
13:15And when we come back,
13:16I wanna dive into your
13:17work from a disparities
13:19perspective and access to care.
13:21Funding for Yale Cancer Answers
13:23comes from Smilow Cancer Hospital,
13:25where the lung cancer screening
13:27program provides screening to those
13:29at risk for lung cancer
13:30and individualized
13:32state of the art evaluation
13:33of lung nodules.
13:34To learn more, visit smilowcancerhospital
13:37dot org.
13:39There are over sixteen point
13:41nine million cancer survivors in
13:43the US and over two
13:44hundred and forty thousand here
13:46in Connecticut.
13:47Completing treatment for cancer is
13:49a very exciting milestone, but
13:51cancer and its treatment can
13:52be a life changing experience.
13:55The return to normal activities
13:56and relationships
13:57may be difficult and cancer
13:59survivors may face other long
14:01term side effects of cancer,
14:03including heart problems,
14:05osteoporosis,
14:06fertility issues, and an increased
14:08risk of second cancers.
14:10Resources for cancer survivors are
14:12available at federally designated comprehensive
14:15cancer centers such as
14:17Yale Cancer Center and Smilow
14:18Cancer Hospital
14:20to keep cancer survivors well
14:22and focused on healthy living.
14:24The Smilow Cancer Hospital survivorship
14:26clinic focuses on providing guidance
14:29and direction
14:30to empower survivors to take
14:31steps to maximize their health,
14:33quality of life, and longevity.
14:36More information is available at
14:37yalecancercenter
14:38dot org. You're listening to
14:40Connecticut Public Radio.
14:42Okay. Welcome back listeners to
14:44Yale Cancer Answers.
14:46This is Doctor Tracy Battaglia
14:47here, and I am thrilled
14:49to have been joined tonight
14:50by my guest, Doctor Monica
14:51Valero.
14:53I wanna transition our
14:54conversation a little bit to
14:56talk about your expertise in
14:58cancer inequities or cancer disparities.
15:01You came to Connecticut and
15:02to Yale Cancer Center to
15:04lead the
15:06Hispanic Breast Cancer Program,
15:08because of your passion for
15:09caring for this particular population.
15:11So can you tell our
15:12listeners a little bit about
15:15your program and specifically
15:17anything that's important for our
15:18listeners to understand about cancer
15:20inequity?
15:21Yes, Doctor Battaglia, just
15:24a little bit of background.
15:25We know that the Hispanic
15:26population of Hispanic women are
15:28less likely to develop breast
15:30cancer
15:31than when they're compared to
15:32non Hispanic white women. However,
15:34despite this lower incidence of
15:36disease,
15:37when the incidence is compared,
15:40we have seen that the
15:42Hispanic population
15:44is usually diagnosed at a
15:46advanced stage
15:47and sometimes with a worse
15:49prognosis.
15:50We know that social determinants
15:52of health and socioeconomic factors
15:54can interfere. So my
15:56goal with this program was
15:58to meet the needs of
15:59a growing and underserved Hispanic
16:01population diagnosed with
16:03breast cancer
16:04and to inform these women
16:06about the most important facts
16:08about the disease. So this
16:09is like an inclusive
16:11health care environment that
16:12provides service to the Hispanic
16:14population, and we we try to
16:17allow them to have the
16:19entire
16:20visit in their native language.
16:22Can you talk a little
16:23bit more about some of
16:24the examples of other access
16:26related initiatives to target the
16:28population besides offering
16:31programs in their native language?
16:33Yeah. We're doing community
16:35outreach. We also have a
16:36mobile mammo van that allows
16:39patients to obtain mammograms and
16:41ultrasound in their community.
16:43We do educational,
16:45group support,
16:47and we provide a lot
16:48of education,
16:50making sure patients
16:52know of the programs that
16:53the state also provides.
16:56There are programs that allow patients
16:58that are uninsured or
17:02live in an underserved area.
17:03They allow them for them to
17:06obtain mammograms and ultrasound.
17:08And this is a well
17:09known program that is not
17:11specifically in Connecticut,
17:13but is available in many other
17:15states. So increasing the awareness
17:17and making sure patients
17:19understand there is a possibility
17:20for them to come and
17:22have access,
17:23is one of our
17:25main goals. Can you talk
17:27about what's involved in creating
17:29a pathway for access
17:30for these populations?
17:32Yes. So, currently,
17:34their health care
17:36pathways
17:37that allow
17:38for physicians and patients
17:41to have a more tailored
17:42treatment. As as you know,
17:44we are working together in
17:47streamlining time sensitive referrals,
17:50for these patients which the
17:51goal is to optimize the
17:53time to breast cancer diagnosis
17:55in a vulnerable population.
17:57What I'm trying to say
17:58is when patients obtain
17:59an imaging or a mammogram,
18:01sometimes
18:02something abnormal can be seen,
18:04and additional imaging or biopsies
18:06are required afterwards.
18:08This is not usually a
18:09smooth
18:10process because it requires multiple
18:12visits. As we know, it's
18:13hard with our busy life.
18:14It's very hard to take
18:15time off work. And, you
18:17know, if you have kids,
18:18so there are many factors
18:19that
18:20may make
18:22a woman take longer
18:24and obtain subsequent images and
18:26biopsies. And this time
18:28or this lag
18:29allows for
18:30late diagnosis. And when we have
18:32late diagnosis
18:33usually the disease is
18:35technically more advanced and
18:37the outcomes are better the
18:39earlier the stage
18:40and the sooner we
18:41can treat the cancer.
18:44So with this
18:45pathway,
18:46where we are trying
18:48to navigate patients
18:49and make sure if
18:50there's any barriers or challenges
18:52that they're facing
18:53to get to the diagnosis
18:55point, and then from there
18:56to see a surgeon
18:57or a provider,
18:59we try to
19:00overcome those barriers.
19:02So I wanna
19:03talk a little bit more
19:04about the navigation piece in
19:06a minute, but, I just
19:07wanna reiterate
19:09some of the points that
19:10you made, that
19:11mammography
19:12is the best test that
19:13we have to identify cancer
19:15before we have symptoms.
19:17And that's why we promote
19:18mammography, right, in average risk
19:20populations at forty and for,
19:22you know, high risk populations,
19:23maybe sometimes earlier.
19:25But mammography, like any screening
19:27test, is not a perfect
19:28test. So as you point
19:29out,
19:30I think it's important for
19:31our listeners to understand that,
19:33you know, once an abnormality
19:35is detected on a mammogram,
19:37your screening test is not
19:38over. You need to really
19:40be diligent about following up
19:41in a timely way to
19:42make sure that initial problem
19:45that was identified in the
19:46mammogram is either cleared or
19:48further testing is done to
19:49make sure
19:50that there is or is
19:51not a cancer. So critical
19:54point for our listeners to
19:55understand
19:56and as you
19:57point out, it's not easy
19:59for any of us to
20:00follow-up on sort of that
20:01cascade of care that's needed
20:02to get to a cancer
20:04diagnosis or to rule out
20:05cancer
20:06and navigation or patient navigation
20:08is a
20:09care delivery model that I'm
20:10very passionate about as you
20:12know in our prior work
20:13together.
20:14Can you talk about what
20:15navigation means after an abnormal
20:17mammogram and how it can
20:18help a patient?
20:20Yeah, so navigation,
20:22has been well defined as
20:25an amazing tool to guide
20:27patients and to make sure
20:29that if there is any
20:30challenge, we can help them
20:31to overcome those and to
20:33obtain a timely diagnosis.
20:35As we all
20:37know, we have navigation
20:40support at some of our
20:42sites
20:43where we practice.
20:44However, this navigation support
20:46starts after the patients are
20:48diagnosed. And what I mean
20:49with navigation support is,
20:51every time we meet a
20:52patient with breast cancer,
20:54they have the opportunity to
20:55meet one of our nurse
20:56navigators.
20:57We'll walk with
20:58them through the process of
20:59the breast cancer diagnosis, not
21:01only through the surgical portion,
21:03but also through the medical
21:04oncology and radiation oncology because
21:06this is a process
21:08that takes many months. So
21:09the navigators are able
21:12to identify if there is
21:13any specific
21:14factor that will,
21:16you know, impact the patient's
21:19care and treatment.
21:20And what we're trying to
21:22do right now, as you
21:23mentioned before,
21:24screening mammography
21:26is not the only portion
21:27of the studies, right, for
21:29detecting breast cancers. So when
21:31additional procedures are
21:33required afterwards,
21:35it is important that patients
21:37understand that the sooner we
21:38obtain the additional recommended
21:41imaging or biopsies is going
21:42to be beneficial for them.
21:44So this is where
21:45navigation, upstreaming navigation
21:48to the time of
21:49the abnormal imaging
21:50will allow, so that's our
21:52thought, will benefit patients in
21:53decreasing the time from
21:55the abnormal imaging to the
21:57definitive diagnosis.
21:59So, you know, nurse navigation
22:01is a pathway to ensure
22:03equal access to services.
22:06When we talk about equity
22:08and ensuring we meet the
22:09specific needs of patients,
22:12specifically
22:13the Hispanic population that you're
22:14working with,
22:16how do we tailor navigation
22:17to these populations to really
22:19meet their needs? Can you
22:20give some examples?
22:22Yeah. I think, there are
22:23many,
22:25challenges that we can see
22:27not only in the Hispanic
22:28populations that are applicable to
22:31many,
22:32you know, ethnic groups.
22:34However, I will say that,
22:36you know, the fear of,
22:38the mistrust in
22:41the health care
22:42system,
22:44the lack of insurance or
22:47or sometimes the immigrational status,
22:52and the fear to miss
22:54work or childcare.
22:56Those are the main
22:58factors where we could see
22:59not only the Hispanic population,
23:01but many women
23:03face,
23:04challenges to come for their
23:06follow-up imaging and also
23:08the copays. We know like
23:09right now, that's
23:11a very, very important part
23:12of the
23:13healthcare system.
23:15And so your navigation program
23:17tries to understand those needs
23:18from the patient's perspective
23:20and connect them with resources
23:22to help address them.
23:23We have multiple programs that
23:25help those patients to connect
23:27with
23:28tools that will allow them
23:31a better follow-up.
23:33I imagine coming to see
23:34a provider like you who's
23:36linguistically
23:37con congruent with a population
23:39where English
23:41is not necessarily their first
23:42language is also a way
23:44of sort of overcoming some
23:45of those challenges.
23:47Yeah, I agree. I feel
23:48like in the
23:49ideal world,
23:50every patient should be able,
23:51specifically due to the breast
23:53cancer process, which is a
23:54very complex and
23:56difficult time for our patients.
23:58It must be really hard
23:59to try to express yourself
24:01and understand and absorb all
24:03the information that you are
24:04given.
24:06It is very in-depth information and
24:09I think that will be
24:10ideal. NOTE Confidence: 0.9760034
24:16I wanna
24:17ask you about
24:19you mentioned earlier in your
24:20comments about research and clinical
24:22trials. And I wonder if
24:24you can speak a little
24:25bit about the role of
24:26research and clinical trials
24:28in breast cancer care, either
24:30through your own program or
24:32otherwise.
24:33Yes.
24:34So research and clinical trials,
24:37you know, are key
24:39on finding
24:41and learning more about better
24:43options for our patients.
24:45So here we have the
24:47option of offering
24:50patients a lot of clinical
24:51trials that are available
24:53across the country.
24:55And I will say,
24:57we really encourage our patients,
24:59the ones that qualify for
25:00them, to participate.
25:02And specifically,
25:04given that
25:05the Hispanic population is not
25:06well
25:07represented in clinical trials, that's
25:09also one of my areas
25:11or goals
25:12is to allow for these
25:13women to understand
25:15their options to participate
25:17and to understand better the
25:18trial so they feel
25:20more comfortable about joining.
25:22And when I say
25:24that they're not well represented,
25:25it's like the majority of
25:27these trials
25:28have a small percentage of
25:29Hispanic population. So when you
25:31obtain data and results,
25:33sometimes
25:34they are not totally applicable
25:36to every ethnic group.
25:38So the more diverse
25:40population that we have for
25:41these trials is, the better.
25:43And you are very
25:44lucky to work with the
25:46medical oncology group
25:47where we have
25:49many,
25:51clinical trials,
25:53that will allow for
25:54new and advanced
25:57therapies.
25:59That's really helpful to sort
26:00of help framing the message
26:02to our listeners that
26:05cancer clinical trials
26:08are
26:09a form of quality care
26:11treatment.
26:11Sometimes,
26:13especially in
26:15specific areas that we don't
26:17know what the best treatment
26:18might be for a particular
26:19subtype of a tumor,
26:21having access to a clinical
26:23trial sometimes gives you access
26:24to the most
26:26cutting edge
26:27treatment options.
26:29Can you talk a little
26:30bit about that?
26:31Yes. I think
26:32you said it right.
26:34I think sometimes,
26:36we know that there
26:37are therapies that
26:40will provide better outcomes,
26:41but it needs to be
26:42proven. So in order to
26:44be proven, right, we,
26:47organize and lead
26:49and develop these
26:50clinical trials.
26:52And, you know, we're very
26:53passionate about that because nowadays,
26:55with all the
26:57evolution in the therapy
26:58of breast cancer,
27:00we
27:01have a lot of options
27:02for our patients.
27:04Amazing.
27:06Well,
27:07I wonder if, as we're
27:09sort of closing out on
27:10our time together,
27:12if there are any other
27:13sort of
27:15pearls of wisdom that you
27:17might have for our listeners
27:19around
27:20breast cancer care and specifically
27:23the population of patients that
27:24you're caring for, or anything
27:25we didn't touch on that
27:26you think is important?
27:29I think what is really
27:30important is for patients to
27:32understand or understand that in
27:33this new era,
27:35we're open about
27:37breast cancer diagnosis. I feel
27:39like back in the days,
27:40this was like a very,
27:42kind of, like, taboo,
27:44thing that
27:46patients did not feel comfortable
27:48sharing with family members. So
27:50I feel like now the
27:51more we know and the
27:52more
27:53we empower ourselves,
27:55understand and learn about breast
27:57cancer
27:58diagnosis, awareness, and we're
28:00very efficient about obtaining mammograms
28:02and understanding understanding our risk.
28:05You know, it's going to
28:06allow for women
28:07to be healthier and feel
28:09better with their care.
28:10So I really would
28:12like to empower
28:13women.
28:16And it's not easy, go
28:18for mammograms. Even I think
28:19it's even more difficult if
28:21you already went through diagnosis
28:23or have a lot of
28:24family history.
28:25But I will empower women
28:26to go and continue with
28:27their screening mammograms and
28:29not be afraid of
28:30sharing or asking
28:32when they have questions to
28:33any providers or the health
28:35care system.
28:37Dr. Valero is an assistant professor
28:39of surgical oncology at the
28:40Yale School of Medicine.
28:42If you have questions, the
28:43address is cancer answers at
28:45yale dot e d u,
28:46and past editions of the
28:47program are available in audio
28:49and written form at yale
28:50cancer center dot org. We
28:52hope you'll join us next
28:53time to learn more about
28:54the fight against cancer.
28:55Funding for Yale Cancer Answers
28:57is provided by Smilow Cancer
28:59Hospital.