Podcast appearances and mentions of amy comander

What is lifestyle medicine, and how can it apply to cancer care? In this empowering episode, we explore the transformative role of lifestyle medicine in cancer survivorship. We spoke to Amy Comander, MD, medical director of the Mass General Cancer Center-Waltham and the Breast Oncology Program at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, who explains how intentional choices around nutrition, exercise, sleep, and mental health can play a powerful role in cancer care. From diagnosis through recovery, we explore how these interventions can complement treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, helping patients regain a sense of control and improve their quality of life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us for an empowering and insightful conversation as Dr. Jennie Berkovich sits down with Dr. Amy Comander, a leading breast oncologist and advocate for patient-centered care. In this episode, Dr. Comander shares her expertise on the latest advancements in breast cancer detection, treatment, and survivorship. Discover how personalized medicine and multidisciplinary care are revolutionizing outcomes for breast cancer patients. Dr. Comander also delves into the critical role of lifestyle medicine—including exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness—in promoting healing and resilience. With her unique perspective as a passionate runner and physician, Dr. Comander draws inspiring parallels between running and the cancer journey, offering hope and practical advice for patients and their families navigating a diagnosis. Whether you're a healthcare professional, patient, or advocate, this episode will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to run the race toward better cancer care. Don't miss it! Dr. Amy Comander specializes in the care of women with breast cancer.  Dr. Comander is Medical Director of the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham, where she also serves as Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. She is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She received her undergraduate degree and a master's degree in Neuroscience at Harvard University. She received her medical degree at Yale University School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency training and Hematology-Oncology fellowship training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. She is board certified in Hematology and Medical Oncology, and she is a Diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. _________________________________________________ Sponsor the JOWMA Podcast! Email digitalcontent@jowma.org Become a JOWMA Member! www.jowma.org Follow us on Instagram! www.instagram.com/JOWMA_org Follow us on Twitter! www.twitter.com/JOWMA_med Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/JOWMAorg Stay up-to-date with JOWMA news! Sign up for the JOWMA newsletter! https://jowma.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9b4e9beb287874f9dc7f80289&id=ea3ef44644&mc_cid=dfb442d2a7&mc_eid=e9eee6e41e

In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Rachel A. Millstein, PhD, MHS; Loren Winters, NP; and Amy Comander, MD, discussed their article titled Implementing a Multidisciplinary Lifestyle Medicine Clinic for Cancer Survivorship, which was published in the November 2024 issue of ONCOLOGY®. The authors detailed the implementation of a novel oncology-based multidisciplinary lifestyle medicine clinic that may help enhance the quality of life (QOL) among survivors of cancer. Millstein is a psychologist in the Behavioral Medicine Program and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Winters is an oncology nurse practitioner and assistant director of the Lifestyle Medicine Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Comander is the medical director of Mass General Cancer Center-Waltham, director of the Breast Oncology Program at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and director of the Lifestyle Medicine Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Millstein outlined the rationale for this publication on the development of a multidisciplinary lifestyle medicine clinic, highlighting a need to boost general awareness and support for lifestyle medicine consultations and health behavior change in cancer survivor care. Winters then explained how the multidisciplinary clinic works in alignment with 6 key pillars of lifestyle medicine, as team members aim to promote physical activity, plant-predominant diets, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and social connections to enhance QOL among cancer survivors. Additionally, Comander highlighted how the lifestyle medicine program optimizes health and well-being by matching patients to the specific services they require, which may include the help of team members such as board-certified physicians, nurse practitioners, registered dietitians, and clinical psychologists. Millstein and Winters then detailed the improvements in health behaviors associated with 2 patient cases at their program, demonstrating the potential benefits of implementing broad and diverse lifestyle medicine tools in oncology-supportive care. Looking ahead, Comander described the importance of addressing gaps in education, a lack of programs focused on areas such as weight management, and other barriers to the implementation of lifestyle medicine in oncology care. Finally, each author expressed her hope to see more colleagues, clinics, and programs incorporate lifestyle medicine as part of elevating QOL among survivors of cancer. The authors invite listeners to contact them if they would like to find ways to implement lifestyle medicine in their respective centers.

Rip Esselstyn continues his special series for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Dr. Amy Comander, a leading expert in breast oncology and lifestyle medicine at Massachusetts General Cancer Center. Together, they delve into how breast cancer survivors can reclaim their health and thrive after a diagnosis through lifestyle changes and holistic wellness practices.Dr. Comander introduces her innovative 12-week program, "Paving the Path to Wellness," which supports breast cancer survivors in their recovery by focusing on the whole person-body, mind, and spirit- with the goal to empower individuals to live healthier lives with a sense of purpose.The episode also highlights the growing concern of younger individuals being diagnosed with breast cancer and the importance of preventive lifestyle measures. Dr. Comander emphasizes the powerful role of a whole food, plant-based diet in reducing cancer risk and improving overall health, providing practical tips for patients to incorporate more plant-based options into their meals.Exercise, too, plays a critical role in recovery, and she discusses how it can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. Dr. Comander also addresses the lack of confidence many healthcare providers have in guiding patients toward effective exercise routines, identifying an area for improvement in oncology care.The conversation also explores the importance of sleep, stress management, and social support, with Dr. Comander sharing heartwarming stories of patients finding community and healing through her program. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of lifestyle medicine and cancer recovery, offering valuable insights and hope for breast cancer survivors.Watch the Episode on YouTubeEpisode WebpageUpcoming Events:Sedona Retreat - October 8th-13th, 2024 https://plantstrong.com/pages/2024-sedona-retreat COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer Leave Us a Voicemail QuestionLeave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/plantstrong Follow PLANTSTRONG and Rip Esselstynhttps://plantstrongfoods.com/ https://www.facebook.com/GoPlantstrong https://www.instagram.com/goplantstrong/https://www.instagram.com/ripesselstyn/ Let Us Help Your PLANTSTRONG JourneyUse Code: PSSUMMER20 for $20 off Annual Subscription at https://home.mealplanner.plantstrong.com/ https://myplantstrong.com/b/trailblazer Follow the PLANTSTRONG Podcast and Give the Show a 5-star RatingApple PodcastsSpotifyTheme Music for Episodehttps://app.soundstripe.com/songs/10845

In this episode, we bring back Dr. Any Comander for another incredibly fascinating and informative conversation around lifestyle medicine, breast cancer and more. Enjoy this timely message as it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Cancer is the second cause of death worldwide, and cases are set to increase to 35 million over the next two decades. Even though we've made great strides in research and therapeutic advances, the risk of cancer is still high.   That doesn't mean we have to just accept that cancer will happen to more of us. There are steps we can take to prevent it and increase our survivorship if we do get it.   It has been proven that lifestyle choices can reduce your risk of cancer. What we eat and how active we are can have a huge impact on the likelihood of getting cancer. By far, things like our weight and our habits are the most modifiable risk factors, and the good news is, they are entirely in our control.   Why has there been a rise in the global cancer burden? How can we reduce our risk? In this episode, I'm joined by the Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham, Dr. Amy Comander. She shares how we can address the rising global cancer burden by changing our lifestyles.    30-40% of cancers can be prevented by avoiding risk factors and applying good and healthy lifestyle choices to our own lives. -Dr. Amy Comander    Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode    -Why your lifestyle choices matter If certain lifestyle choices increase the risk of cancer, that means our choices can also reduce it. How can we combat the disease by implementing good lifestyle choices?    -The bad news about the genetics (and the good news) Genetics and hereditary alterations are known factors that increase the risks of cancer. Can lifestyle choices protect those who are predisposed to cancer, and even stop it from transmitting to the next generation?     -This lifestyle change will reduce your risk of cancer Excess fat cells have been found to be a risk factor for cancer. How do fat cells propagate the development of cancer cells?    Guest Bio Dr. Amy Comander specializes in the care of women with breast cancer. Dr. Comander is Medical Director of the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham, where she also serves as Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. She is director of Lifestyle Medicine at the Mass General Cancer Center, and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She received her undergraduate degree and a master's degree in Neuroscience at Harvard University. She received her medical degree at Yale University School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency training and Hematology-Oncology fellowship training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. She is board-certified in Hematology and Medical Oncology, and she is a Diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Comander is well-known for her compassionate care and passionate devotion to her patients. She has served as a medical advisor to Oneinforty, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage about the one-in-forty chance of having inherited a BRCA mutation. She is proud to serve on the board of the Ellie Fund, a non-profit that provides services and support to women diagnosed with breast cancer in Massachusetts. Dr. Comander has a strong interest in improving the quality of life and outcome of cancer survivors through important lifestyle interventions, including physical activity, diet, and mind/body interventions. She promotes healthy lifestyles for both her active treatment patients as well as those in the survivorship phase of care. She has launched PAVING the Path to Wellness, a 12-week lifestyle medicine-based survivorship program for women with breast cancer. Connect with Dr. Comander on LinkedIn.  Go to https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/how-to-prevent-cancer/ to read about the 10 cancer prevention recommendations.

The Body Pod turns 50 today! That's right, this is our 50th episode! And what better way to celebrate than by talking with Harvard Breast Oncologist, Dr. Amy Comander! Listen in as we discuss the various subtypes of breast cancer as well as how a healthy lifestyle lowers your risk for this disease. Dr. Comander brings a wealth of knowledge you do not want to miss!

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Amy Comander, MD, about incorporating lifestyle changes for cancer patients, developing lifestyle pathways for survivors and more. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive :58 •    About Comander 1:14 •    The interview 3:40 •    How do you manage to incorporate running on such a high level into your day-to-day life? 4:04 •    Tell us about what lifestyle medicine is and why it is so important to include in patient care? 6:43 •    How do you suggest oncologists who are interested in integrating lifestyle medicine into their treatment plans communicate these changes to their patients? 10:06 •    Jain and Comander on the importance of physical activity in cancer care.  12:09  •    Do you have standard recommendations you give to patients to begin incorporating physical activity and exercise to their treatment plan? 13:34 •    About Comander's patient, and her Walk with Me movement. 16:13 •    How do you incorporate lifestyle health into survivorship discussions after treatment? 17:12 •    Jain and Comander on the evolution of medicine allowing there to be more metrics for holistic care and empowerment for patients. 19:02 •    What types of clinical trials are there for lifestyle medicine? 21:19 •    Comander on The Diet, Exercise, Lifestyles, and Cancer Prognosis Study (DELCaP).  21:45 •    How do you talk to people who may not understand lifestyle medicine or its impact? 23:33 •    Can you talk about the PAVING the Path to Wellness program? 24:54 •    What is the training process for physicians looking to become a lifestyle medicine specialist? 28:40 •    Is there an optimal way to incorporate these specialists in patients' day-to-day without it being a burden for them? 31:11 •    If someone could only listen to the last two minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 33:13 •    How to contact Comander 34:26 •    Thanks for listening 35:37 Amy Comander, MD, is a breast oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. We'd love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow Healio on X, formerly known as Twitter, and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShikhaJainMD. Comander can be reached on via the MGH Cancer Center website, on Instagram and Threads @dramycomander or on X, formerly known as Twitter @DrAmyComander. Disclosures:  Jain and Comander report no relevant financial disclosures.

Q and A with Breast Cancer Oncologist and Harvard Professor Dr. Amy Comander. We discuss breast cancer vaccines, cold-capping, hair loss, nutrition, death, running, and more!  Thanks for keeping The Fitzness Show in the top 5% of all podcasts worldwide. Please like, subscribe, and/or give us a rating!  Visit Fitzness.com for referenced content like the Exact Formula for Weight Loss, free workout videos, Fixing Your Life with Fitzness, books, and more.

Israel has agreed to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza – and US President Joe Biden is now back on American soil after a whirlwind visit to the warzone. We get the latest on the conflict from Christian Leuprecht, Professor at the Royal Military College and Editor of the ‘Canadian Military Journal'. 1 in 8 - that's the number of Canadian women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. We discuss the importance of self-advocacy - and early detection of the deadly disease – with Dr. Amy Comander, Director of Breast Oncology at the ‘Mass General Cancer Centre' in Boston. Finally, it's hard to come by ‘good news' these days with headlines focused on military conflict – economic struggles - and more. We get some tips on how to deal with ‘heavy' news headlines - and the impact they can have on us – with Karen Gallagher-Burt, Mental Health Advocate & Social worker with The Distress Centre.

More than 5% of the US population, 18.1 million people, are cancer survivors. Over the next decade, the number of people who have lived 5 or more years after their cancer diagnosis is projected to increase by approximately 30%. How do we define cancer survivorship? What does cancer rehabilitation look like? And what are lifestyle prevention strategies? We spoke to Amy Comander, MD, medical director of the Mass General Cancer Center-Waltham and director of the Breast Oncology Program at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, about her program PAVING the Path to Wellness in collaboration with Beth Frates, MD, the six key pillars of lifestyle medicine, how you can support your loved one going through a cancer diagnosis, and the long-lasting power of social connection in cancer survivorship.

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Dr. Amy Comander. Dr. Comander is a breast…

Dr. Amy Comander is a breast oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She is Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital, and Medical Director of the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham. Dr. Comander is Director of Lifestyle Medicine at the Mass General Cancer Center, which is the first cancer center to have a dedicated lifestyle medicine program. As an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, she enjoys teaching medical students and residents about oncology, as well as lifestyle medicine.Given her strong interest in cancer survivorship and lifestyle medicine, Dr. Comander is dedicated to improving the quality of life, well-being, and outcome of individuals with cancer through important lifestyle interventions, including exercise, diet, and mind/body interventions. She promotes healthy lifestyles for both her active treatment patients as well as those in the survivorship phase of care. She practices what she preaches, having run marathons, including ten consecutive Boston Marathons so far, with the goal to improve the lives of those with a diagnosis of cancer.In collaboration with Dr. Beth Frates, she has launched “PAVING the Path to Wellness,” a 12-week lifestyle medicine-based survivorship program for women with breast cancer. Along with Dr. Frates and Dr. Michelle Tollefson, she has published the “PAVING the Path to Wellness” workbook. Dr. Comander is currently proud to serve as the first oncologist on the Board of Directors of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is also on the Board of the Ellie Fund, a non-profit that provides services and support to women diagnosed with breast cancer in Massachusetts. She is a medical advisor to the non-profit organization, SurvivingBreastCancer.org. She has served as a medical advisor to Oneinforty, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage about the one-in-forty chance of having inherited a BRCA mutation. She is married to Jason, a physician-scientist at Mass Eye and Ear, and is the mom of two teenagers.  Links:Learn more about Amy's PAVING the Path to Wellness Program hereFind more tips for lifestyle change in the PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook 

In this episode, hosts Shikha Jain, MD, Douglas H. Jones, MD, Amy Comander, MD, Dagny Zhu, MD, Don Dizon, MD, and Mark A. Lewis, MD, discuss the new social media platform, Threads and how physicians can use it for their practice. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive :57 •    The topic 1:10 •    How many have created a profile on Threads? Why or why not? 2:59 •    Dr. Jain has a Thread profile but is unsure how to get more engagement 3:20 •    Dr. Lewis has convinced coworkers to use social media but has not used Threads yet 4:54 •    Dr. Dizon has a Thread profile but notes that leaving other platforms is leaving those communities and starting all over on a new platform 6:25 •    Giving Threads more time to pick up followers and engagement 11:18  •    Dr. Zhu has a Thread profile and found it easy to create but engagement is not the same as other platforms 12:17 •    Tips and tricks to sharing content on socials, especially Threads 14:33  •    Trouble with other social media platforms 17:55 •    Tips and tricks to building a community on a social media 20:20 •    The power of social media platforms and engagement in established communities 22:30 •    Fighting misinformation 25:13 •    Platforms versus audience 27:15 •    How would you like to see Threads change as a platform? 31:21 •    What is the power of TikTok in terms of getting movement among communities? 33:31 •    How do you create a profile on Threads? 40:30 •    Level of engagement: Twitter vs. Threads 43:31 •    The overwhelming number of platforms 52:29 •    What is the best platform for physicians to use? 53:41 •    Sharable content to post across other platforms 55:34 •    Final thoughts 58:09 •    Thanks for listening 1:02:13 Douglas H. Jones, MD, is the cofounder of Global Food Therapy, cofounder and president of Food Allergy Support Team and director of Rocky Mountain Allergy at Tanner Clinic. You can follow him on Threads @drdouglasjones. Amy Comander, MD, DipABLM, is director of breast oncology and survivorship at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton-Wellesley, and medical director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Waltham. She is director of the Lifestyle Medicine Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She is also an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. You can follow her on Threads @dramycomander. Shika Jain, MD, FACP, is an associate professor of medicine with tenure in the division of hematology, oncology and cell therapy at the University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago. She is the director of communication strategies in medicine and associate director of oncology communication and digital innovation. She also is consulting editor for Healio Women in Oncology, as well as host of Healio's Oncology Overdrive podcast. You can follow her on Threads @shikajainmd. Dagny Zhu, MD, is a cornea, cataract, and refractive surgeon and medical director and partner at NVISION Eye Centers in Rowland Heights, CA. You can follow her on Threads @dzeyemd. Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO, is head of community outreach and engagement at the Cancer Center at Brown University and head of the breast and pelvic malignancies program at Lifespan Cancer Institute. You can follow him on Twitter (X) and TikTok @drdonsdizon. Mark A. Lewis, MD, is the director of gastrointestinal oncology at Intermountain Healthcare in Murray, Utah, and a medical oncologist specializing in cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs. You can follow him on Twitter (X) @marklewismd. We'd love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow Healio on Twitter and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on Twitter: @ShikhaJainMD. Disclosures: The moderators and panelists report no relevant financial disclosures.

Dr. Amy Comander is passionate about fighting cancer by any means necessary, including exercise. Lifestyle medicine is about more than just prevention, it can also be part of the cure! Check out the full show notes for today's episode at http://DizRuns.com/1176. Today's Episode of the Show is Sponsored by Be Ready on Race Day: How to Create a Custom Training Plan for Your Next Marathon or Half Marathon http://BeReadyonRaceDay.com Love the show? Check out the support page for ways you can help keep the Diz Runs Radio going strong! http://dizruns.com/support Become a Patron of the Show! Visit http://Patreon.com/DizRuns to find out how. Get Your Diz Runs Radio Swag! http://dizruns.com/magnet Subscribe to the Diz Runs Radio Find Me on an Apple Device http://dizruns.com/itunes Find Me on an Android http://dizruns.com/stitcher Find Me on SoundCloud http://dizruns.com/soundcloud Please Take the Diz Runs Radio Listener Survey http://dizruns.com/survey Win a Free 16-Week Training Plan Enter at http://dizruns.com/giveaway Join The Tribe If you'd like to stay up to date with everything going on in the Diz Runs world, become a member of the tribe! The tribe gets a weekly email where I share running tips and stories about running and/or things going on in my life. To get the emails, just sign up at http://dizruns.com/join-the-tribe The tribe also has an open group on Facebook, where tribe members can join each other to talk about running, life, and anything in between. Check out the group and join the tribe at https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedizrunstribe/

In today's episode, join me and Dr. Amy Comander as we'll explore the latest developments in breast cancer research and the role that lifestyle medicine plays in reducing the risk of breast cancer. WATCH THE FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/gm6zVECQEBI  Dr. Amy Comander specializes in the care of women with breast cancer. Dr. Comander is the Medical Director of the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham, where she also serves as Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. As Director of Lifestyle Medicine at the Mass General Cancer Center, Dr. Comander has a strong interest in improving the quality of life and outcome of cancer survivors through important lifestyle interventions, including physical activity, diet, and mind/body interventions. She promotes healthy lifestyles for both her active treatment patients as well as those in the survivorship phase of care. Dr. Comander launched PAVING the Path to Wellness, a 12-week lifestyle medicine-based survivorship program for women with breast cancer. She is proud to serve as a board member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Join us as we discuss how lifestyle choices can impact breast cancer risk and explore strategies for prevention and early detection. So sit back, relax, and get ready for an informative and engaging conversation on this important topic.

ACLM is pleased to offer a special 10% discounted pricing for those that may want to learn more about Lifestyle Medicine through our various CME/CE courses. The details of the promotion are listed below: January 24-31st Promocode: CHEFAJ10PHYSICIAN provides 10% off for physicians Promocode: CHEFAJ10PRO provides 10% off for health professionals Promocode: CHEFAJ10STU provides 10% off for student/trainees This special includes a 10% discount on the following courses: Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Board Review (30 CME/CE), all Food as Medicine sessions, Reversing Type 2 Diabetes and Insulin Resistance with Lifestyle Medicine, Physician and Health Professional Well-Being Course and LM2020 OnDemand. More course information can be accessed at https://lifestylemedicine.org/store To learn more about the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine, see ACLM's newly published Family Physician's Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine.https://www.mdedge.com/familymedicine/article/246677/family-physicians-introduction-lifestyle-medicine Michelle Tollefson, MD, FACOG, DipABLM, FACLM, is an obstetrician-gynecologist in Denver, CO, and a Professor in the Health Professions Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver where she created and oversees the Lifestyle Medicine Program and the Wellness Coaching and Lifestyle Medicine Pathway. Dr. Tollefson is a graduate of Creighton University, where she received both her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degrees. She completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, and received her board certification in this specialty. She has also received her board certification from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and a fellowship in Lifestyle Medicine from ACLM. She is a lifestyle medicine leader within the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) as well as the field of women's lifestyle medicine. She founded and co-chairs the ACLM Women's Health Member Interest Group as well as the Pre-Professional Lifestyle Medicine Education Member Interest Group. She serves as the ACLM Board Secretary and serves on the Education and Membership Committees. She is the editor-in-chief of Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan , an international speaker, women's health consultant, leads PAVING the Path to Wellness groups, and recently co-authored the PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook with lead author Dr. Beth Frates and Dr. Amy Comander. She is a breast cancer survivor and thriver through the power of lifestyle medicine and enjoys spending time in the Colorado outdoors with her husband and three children. For more information: https://www.bethfratesmd.com/books https://www.routledge.com/Improving-Womens-Health-Across-the-Lifespan/Tollefson-Eriksen-Pathak/p/book/9780367627621

Amy Comander, MD, DipABLM is a breast oncologist and Director of Lifestyle Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She is the Medical Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Waltham, and Director of Breast Oncology and Survivorship as the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. She is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Michelle Tollefson, MD, DipABLM is an obstetrician-gynecologist, women's health lifestyle medicine expert, and wellness coach. She is the Secretary of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, author, international speaker, consultant, and breast cancer survivor. Description PAVING the Path to Wellness is a program that utilizes attitude, purpose, natural sources of energy, and taking time-outs to shift habits as well as mindset. It provides participants with lifestyle medicine tools including physical activity, healthy eating patterns, stress resilience, honoring and maximizing sleep, and cultivating high-quality connections. The program uses evidence-based guidelines and the latest research to inform the program and keep it cutting edge. During this presentation Drs. Comander and Tollefson will give an overview of the program and share some practical lifestyle medicine tips for optimizing wellbeing. They'll also share information about the PAVING the Path to Wellness Handbook, that they co-authored with Dr. Beth Frates, pioneer in lifestyle medicine, award-winning Harvard Medical School assistant clinical professor, and creator of the PAVING program. PAVING the Path to Wellness is a 501c3 non-profit organization. To learn more about the program and book, visit us on our website or follow us on social media. Website: https://www.pavingwellness.org/ E-mail: info@pavingwellness.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/pavingwellness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paving.wellness/ You can order the PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook through the publisher Healthy Learning or on Amazon. All proceeds from the authors go to the 501c3 non-profit organization, PAVING the Path to Wellness.

October is breast cancer awareness month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. That's especially important for women in the menopause transition and beyond because the risk of breast cancer rises with age. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 55 and older. This week we sat down with marathon runner and breast oncologist Amy Comander, MD, at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center to discuss how we can manage our risks no matter our family history, genetic makeup, or time of life.  Dr. Comander is Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. She is Medical Director of the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and the Director of Lifestyle Medicine at the Mass General Cancer Center. She is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is board certified in Hematology and Medical Oncology, and she is also board certified in Lifestyle Medicine. Resources Katie Couric's https://katiecouric.com/news/katie-couric-has-breast-cancer/ (article) on her breast cancer. https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2020/breast-cancer-survival-exercise (Research) on exercise and breast cancer survival.  Breast cancer risk https://bcrisktool.cancer.gov/calculator.html (calculator ) https://www.amazon.com/PAVING-Path-Wellness-Workbook-Frates/dp/1606795503/ref=sr_1_1?crid=190KB8EO5OYZQ&keywords=frates+paving&qid=1664378226&sprefix=frates+paving%2Caps%2C60&sr=8-1 (Link) to the PAVING workbook **Support the Podcast**  Get your tickets to the Hit Play Not Pause Summit at https://www.feistymenopause.com/hit-play-not-pause-summit (feistymenopause.com/hit-play-not-pause-summit) Tickets are just $20! InsideTracker: 20% off at http://insidetracker.com/feisty (insidetracker.com/feisty) Previnex: 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ (https://www.previnex.com/)  Bonafide: 20% off your first purchase when you subscribe to any product with code HITPLAY at  http://hellobonafide.com/hitplay (hellobonafide.com/hitplay) Nutrisense: Go to http://nutrisense.io/hitplay (nutrisense.io/hitplay) for $30 off any subscription to the CGM program This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

James McLeod and Tom Ruhig are the two Toronto residents behind AusterityTO, an unauthorized public art project as part of Nuit Blanche, highlighting John Tory's legacy as mayor of Toronto..Globe and Mail investigative reporter Robyn Doolittle joins the show to discuss her investigation finding female doctors in Ontario earn 34% less even in fields they dominate..October is Breast Cancer Awarness Month, Dr Amy Comander on symptoms, screening and diagnosis.

Amy Comander, MD, DipABLM is a breast oncologist and Director of Lifestyle Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She is the Medical Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Waltham, and Director of Breast Oncology and Survivorship as the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. She is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Michelle Tollefson, MD, DipABLM is an obstetrician-gynecologist, women's health lifestyle medicine expert, and wellness coach. She is the Secretary of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, author, international speaker, consultant, and breast cancer survivor. Description PAVING the Path to Wellness is a program that utilizes attitude, purpose, natural sources of energy, and taking time-outs to shift habits as well as mindset. It provides participants with lifestyle medicine tools including physical activity, healthy eating patterns, stress resilience, honoring and maximizing sleep, and cultivating high-quality connections. The program uses evidence-based guidelines and the latest research to inform the program and keep it cutting edge. During this presentation Drs. Comander and Tollefson will give an overview of the program and share some practical lifestyle medicine tips for optimizing wellbeing. They'll also share information about the PAVING the Path to Wellness Handbook, that they co-authored with Dr. Beth Frates, pioneer in lifestyle medicine, award-winning Harvard Medical School assistant clinical professor, and creator of the PAVING program. PAVING the Path to Wellness is a 501c3 non-profit organization. To learn more about the program and book, visit us on our website or follow us on social media. Website: https://www.pavingwellness.org/ E-mail: info@pavingwellness.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/pavingwellness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paving.wellness/ You can order the PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook through the publisher Healthy Learning or on Amazon. All proceeds from the authors go to the 501c3 non-profit organization, PAVING the Path to Wellness.

In this episode, Amy Comander, MD, DipABLM, Beth Frates, MD, FACLM, and Michelle Tollefson, MD, FACOG, DipABLM, discuss their journeys in the breast cancer treatment and awareness space, the importance of wellness and lifestyle support in both patients and specialists and their new personal well-being resource PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook. Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive :13 About Dr. Amy Comander, Dr. Beth Frates and Dr. Michelle Tollefson :24 The interview 3:06 What was Dr. Comander's path to the wellness and lifestyle space of medical care? 3:36 How did Dr. Frates enter the wellness and lifestyle space of health care? 5:40 Tollefson's path into the wellness and lifestyle space 8:10 The challenges faced in the wellness community and “wellness” as a buzzword 12:10 The importance of evidence-based lifestyle medicine in caring for mind and body 15:02 The origins of PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook 19:21 Approaching wellness in patients compared with specialists 25:55 What are the most important “bite-sized” takeaways from this episode? 33:40 Thanks for listening 42:13 Amy Comander, MD, DipABLM, is the Medical Director and Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham, as well as at Newton Wellesley Hospital and is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.  Beth Frates, MD, FACLM, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Michelle Tollefson, MD, FACOG, DipABLM, is an Associate Professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver and a Physician at St. Luke's Medical Clinic. We'd love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow us on Twitter @HemOncToday and @ShikhaJainMD. Commander can be reached on Twitter @DrAmyComander. Frates can be reached at www.bethfratesmd.com and on Twitter @BethFratesMD. Tollefson can be reached on Twitter @DrMTollefson. Disclosures: Jain reports she is a paid freelance writer for Lippincott. Comander, Frates and Tollefson report no relevant financial disclosures.

In times of stress, and especially with the challenges faced during the COVID pandemic, it's more important than ever for healthcare providers to take care of themselves. This episode of the Hope4Med podcast features Dr. Amy Comander, director of breast oncology and survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and Newton-Wellesley hospital. She is board-certified in hematology and medical oncology, as well as in lifestyle medicine. Dr. Comander discusses the pillars of lifestyle medicine and how these pillars are beneficial not only for patients but also for healthcare providers. We talk about the challenges faced by healthcare professionals during the COVID pandemic and some of the silver linings we've found during these difficult times. We also discuss the importance of community and feeling connected with our colleagues in helping to decrease burnout. Check out the PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook: https://www.amazon.com/PAVING-Path-Wellness-Workbook-Frates/dp/1606795503

In times of stress, and especially with the challenges faced during the COVID pandemic, it's more important than ever for healthcare providers to take care of themselves. This episode of the Hope4Med podcast features Dr. Amy Comander, director of breast oncology and survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and Newton-Wellesley hospital. She is board-certified in hematology and medical oncology, as well as in lifestyle medicine. Dr. Comander discusses the pillars of lifestyle medicine and how these pillars are beneficial not only for patients but also for healthcare providers. We talk about the challenges faced by healthcare professionals during the COVID pandemic and some of the silver linings we've found during these difficult times. We also discuss the importance of community and feeling connected with our colleagues in helping to decrease burnout. Check out the PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook: https://www.amazon.com/PAVING-Path-Wellness-Workbook-Frates/dp/1606795503

This week, CancerNetwork closed the book on the year that was 2021. CancerNetwork spoke with Amy Comander, MD, co-medical director and director of breast oncology and cancer survivorship at Mass General Cancer Center, about some of the key developments and data to emerge from 2021 for patients with breast cancer, with a specific focus on the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Not only did Comander detail important information from 2021 in the field of breast cancer, but she also touched on how the field is continuously evolving and shared her thoughts on what's in store for patients in 2022. Don't forget to subscribe to the “Oncology Peer Review On-The-Go” podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere podcasts are available.

On this episode we have a very special guest, my friend, Dr. Amy Comander who is:*Board certified in Hematology, Medical Oncology & Lifestyle Medicine*Breast oncologist at the Massachusetts  General Hospital Cancer Center*Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center at Waltham & Newton Wellesley Hospital*Co-Medical Director of the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham*Instructor at Harvard University Medical SchoolOn this episode, Dr. Comander discusses her insight and expertise on the relationship between stress and cancer:Stress does not directly cause cancer but leads to many harmful behaviors that increase the risk of cancer such as smoking, overeating, drinking alcohol and decreases the function of your immune system's ability to fight off cancer Her whole person approach includes an 8 week stress management and resiliency program for her patients including yoga and meditation are great tools to manage stress Lifestyle Medicine principles optimize the health, well-being and outcome from cancer and help reduce the risk of cancer as well -- top modifiable risk factors include smoking and obesity Alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer-limit to 1 alcoholic drink/day  Developing a program called Paving the Path to WellnessEarn CME: Reflect on how this Podcast applies to your day-to-day and earn AMA PRA Category 1 CMEs here: https://earnc.me/3pGu8nInfo for Dr. Comander:Her Book: PAVING the Path to WellnessInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dramycomander/Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrAmyComanderBook mentioned: Yoga for Cancer---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Info for Dr. Robyn Tiger & StressFreeMD:Register for Rx Inner Peace: A Physician's Guide for Self-Care (25 CME):https://mahec.net/event/65278For more info and to sign up for free self-care tips and videos, check out StressFreeMD:https://www.stressfreemd.net/Physicians schedule your FREE 30 minute Stress Relief Strategy Call:https://go.oncehub.com/StressReliefStrategyCallPhysicians: join our free private physicians-only Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/thephysiciansselfcarecommunityFollow me on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/stressfreemd/Connect with me on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/robyntigermd/Follow me on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/robyntigermdSelf-Care Shop--accredited programs for healthcare and open to everyonehttps://www.stressfreemd.net/selfcareshopPrivate 1:1 Coachinghttps://www.stressfreemd.net/coachingContactinfo@stressfreemd. netPodcast website:https://www.podpage.com/the-stressfreemd-podcast/

This week, Dr. Louis Meyers talks about breast cancer with Dr. Amy Comander who is the Co-Medical Director of the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham as well as the Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship. He also talks with Tiffany Hogan, who is the Director of the Speech and Language lab at Mass General, and was a patient of Dr. Comander.

ASCO Daily News: Welcome to the ASCO Daily News podcast. I'm Geraldine Carroll, a reporter for the ASCO Daily News. The American Cancer Society reports that at least 42% of newly diagnosed cancers in the United States, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, are potentially avoidable because they are attributable to lifestyle factors. Today we will discuss strategies and resources to help the oncology community focus on health promotion as a key component of cancer risk reduction as well as in survivorship care. Joining me for this discussion are Dr. Amy Comander, the director of breast oncology and cancer survivorship at the MGH Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Dr. Poorvi Desai, a hematologist-oncologist at Comprehensive Hematology Oncology in Tampa Bay, Florida. Both Dr. Comander and Dr. Desai are board certified in lifestyle medicine. My guests report no conflicts of interest relating to our topic today. And their full disclosures and those relating to all episodes of the podcast are available on our transcripts at asco.org/podcasts. Dr. Comander and Dr. Desai, it's great to have you on the podcast today. Dr. Amy Comander: Thank you so much for the invitation. Dr. Poorvi Desai: Thank you, it's really great to be here. ASCO Daily News: Dr. Comander and Dr. Desai, you recently co-wrote an interesting editorial featured in the ASCO Daily News that raises concerns about newly diagnosed cancers in the United States that are potentially avoidable because they are attributable to lifestyle factors. You also note that as the population of cancer survivors in the U.S. continues to grow, risk factors for cancer development are becoming more prevalent. So the obesity epidemic in the United States is a huge concern. This is just one risk factor for cancer. Dr. Comander, can you tell us about this and other risk factors and why oncologists should be addressing these risk factors sooner rather than later? Dr. Amy Comander: As you clearly stated, there's increasing prevalence of obesity in this country. And this has troubling consequences in terms of cancer risk and outcomes for specific types of cancer. Interestingly, just this week, we learned data from the annual report to the nation on the status of cancer that, overall, cancer death rates in the United States are declining, especially for lung cancer and melanoma. And this is amazing. And that is due to the incredible advances in treatments that we've witnessed over these past few years. But interestingly, for prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and female breast cancers, death rates continue to increase or these declines have slowed or even leveled off. And in terms of understanding why that may be the case, it seems that lifestyle factors, such as obesity, lack of physical activity, [and] increased alcohol use, may be risk factors for why we are seeing these results. And therefore, further research will certainly need to be done in this area, but attention to these factors is very important. ASCO Daily News: Well, Dr. Desai, I'd like to ask you about your interest in lifestyle medicine. I understand you became interested in lifestyle medicine during your fellowship training. Can you tell us about this? Dr. Poorvi Desai: Yes, I recently just graduated from my hem-onc fellowship at USF and Moffitt Cancer Center. And I was really impressed during my fellowship looking into all of the data very particularly when it comes to every single different type of cancer. But one thing I thought was lacking was just the overall picture of lifestyle factors, and especially modifiable risk factors, when it comes to pre-survivorship along with things that patients can do during active treatment and in the survivorship phase. And I think that there are structures that are starting to appear to help guide us with more evidence-based data. And so I became very interested, as I had an attending in my internal medicine residency who was a part of lifestyle medicine. And through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, I met several people around the country who had been working with organizations such as AICR, as well as the World Health Organization, [and] American Cancer Society. And there was a very big push on these lifestyle factors to look at them in a way that is actually studied through evidence and actual guidelines that I was never really taught about throughout my fellowship. So I made it a point to kind of self-teach a lot of this. But I definitely think that there's a role moving forward in bringing this to not just fellowship education but just all of oncology care, whether it's medical oncology, surgical, radiation, but just any oncology care team. ASCO Daily News: Well, you make a really great point. Evidence-based guidelines do exist to help facilitate lifestyle modification in cancer care, but there are barriers to health promotion in cancer care. Dr. Comander, what are the major barriers? Dr. Amy Comander: That's an excellent question because we know this is an important issue. And actually, it was an issue studied recently by ASCO. Dr. Ligibel and colleagues published a paper in 2013 that was a survey of oncologists and their understanding of obesity and other lifestyle factors and how they address these issues in clinic (DOI: 10.14694/EdBook_AM.2013.33.52).  And I think we can all say that our colleagues are well aware that obesity and lifestyle factors play an important role in cancer outcome. But in terms of the practical steps of how to address these issues with our patients, how to get our patients to lose weight, how to get our patient to exercise, how to help our patient cut back on alcohol use--those are just some examples--there really are limitations. And in that paper, they really outlined some of the reasons for that. Some of it is lack of education, as Dr. Desai just noted. She sought out teachings and lifestyle medicine as part of her fellowship training. She had to go elsewhere to look for that because it really wasn't part of the standard curriculum. So a lack of education, lack of resources. I'm fortunate to work in a cancer center with excellent oncology colleagues with expertise in nutrition, exercise, et cetera. But we know, in the rest of the country, not every doctor has access to these resources. And the third reason is really lack of clinician time. Our visits are very focused. And often the priority, of course, is discussing the patient's treatment, how is--I'm a breast cancer doctor. How is my patient doing on her endocrine therapy? What kind of side effects is she experiencing? How can I ensure she's complying with her medication? So there really isn't a lot of time to address these issues in a visit. So these are all factors we need to work on. ASCO Daily News: Well, how about solutions? How tough is it to convince patients who are grappling with the physical and emotional toll of cancer treatment to prioritize their nutrition and exercise? Dr. Desai, what do you think are the next steps? What would you say to oncologists who really do need to pay more attention to this? Dr. Poorvi Desai: So I think that one of the biggest things to take out of our article is that oncologists don't need to carry the burden of doing this by themselves. I think that while it does take a lot of resources, which is a big constraint, especially financially, I do think that there is a lot of worth in building a care team that's dedicated towards this. Or if that's not possible, then seeking out community, local, or national resources and kind of bringing together any other structure that's already in place and having a good referral to those areas, so that patients do understand that it is important to continue physical activity and working on nutrition. And I definitely think that it's something that patients feel they can have some control over. I think a lot of oncologists don't feel qualified to talk about these things because they are not very well taught in our education. And so I think then a lot of patients in this realm of lifestyle feel on their own in trying to figure out what's good for them, what's not good for them. There's a lot of misinformation online and unsolicited advice that can be given to our patients. There's a lot of fear around foods and what the right type of activity is. And I think that the more evidence-based information that we have to provide to our patients, we can be more confident in making these suggestions. And again, we don't--as oncologists, we don't need to be the ones who are actually doing all the counseling, doing all of this, making sure that they have their exercise prescriptions or whatever it may be, but at least acknowledging that this should be a part of the care team and seeking out resources that the care team can then take over. So that in conjunction with active treatment or in conjunction with survivorship care, this then becomes something that patients feel they have some kind of control over. And I also think that it's important that we don't over-promise and under-deliver as well. I think that it's important to show patients that these are things that are as important as their active treatment to pay attention to, but also as oncologists start becoming more comfortable with the idea of risk reduction and having the information to back up our claims that lifestyle is of the utmost important in cancer. ASCO Daily News: Absolutely. Dr. Comander, do you have any thoughts on this? Is it more difficult to do what Dr. Desai has described in a community practice than where you are in a larger institution? Dr. Amy Comander: I think Dr. Desai answered that question beautifully. I will add that, as an oncologist, what we say makes such an impression on our patients. Often our patients are recording what we say, or they have a family member with them writing down everything we say. So if we just tell our patient, it's really important for you to exercise--and that might just mean a 10 minute walk each day or walking to the mailbox to get the mail, starting with something very basic in terms of exercise counseling--can make a big difference. And so I think just the fact that, as Dr. Desai just stated, a doctor acknowledging that exercise has a role, nutrition has a role, stress management has a role, I think just that simple act has a big impact on our patients. And it's very important. ASCO Daily News: Indeed. Well, patients and survivors often grapple with depression, anxiety, fear of recurrence, financial issues, and more. Sleep disorders and insomnia can interfere with adherence to a nutrition plan or an exercise regime. Are there helpful tools available, or what are the helpful tools available to oncology practices to help them address these issues with their patients? Dr. Amy Comander: I think that's a really important question. We know that distress screening is actually incorporated into each visit. And that's recommended through the NCCN guidelines really to assess these issues you just inquired about--coping skills, anxiety, depression, financial issues, et cetera. So certainly, it's very important to ask our patients about these issues and refer them to appropriate colleagues, whether that's a mental health provider or social worker, to help address these concerns. I will also acknowledge ASCO has a number of great resources to help guide patients to. The website Cancer.Net has many resources that help patients find perhaps something in the community that could help them address these specific concerns. Dr. Desai, I'm interested in your comments as well. Dr. Poorvi Desai: I absolutely agree with you. I think that the NCCN is doing a really great job in compiling a comprehensive set of resources in their survivorship guidelines. There is that distress assessment thermometer that we had addressed in our article. We definitely understand that these psychosocial evaluations are pretty much of utmost importance. There's a lot of anxiety and distress that comes with a cancer diagnosis. And we know that it lasts. It has an impact that's lifelong. And so definitely one of the big pillars of lifestyle medicine is stress and social connectivity. And so we definitely are an advocate for having mental health professionals as a part of the care team and looking at mental and physical well-being going hand-in-hand. And I think one of the biggest things to understand is that we have to meet our patients where they are. And so we don't want to advocate for anybody saying, OK, now you have to exercise five times a day strenuously, and you have to eat perfectly, and all of these things that can be extremely overwhelming. And so I think that there are great guidelines. And I think the NCCN Survivorship Panel has put together a good amount of resources for us to show patients how to work on mindfulness strategies and sort of systematically work them through a very difficult diagnosis in order to slowly, but surely, result in those healthy lifestyle changes. I like to tell my patients that it's a marathon, not a sprint. Any progress is good progress. You don't have to be perfect. And I think that's definitely something that we should be mindful of when we talk about changing lifestyle behaviors. ASCO Daily News: Right. Dr. Comander, do you think there is a role for increased collaboration between oncology providers and primary care providers in the context of cancer survivorship, for example? Survivors might see their oncologists every few months, every 6 months, every year, but who is monitoring the hypertension, the weight gain? Who should own that responsibility, or is it a collaboration? Dr. Amy Comander: That's a great question. And as you stated at the beginning, thankfully due to advances in treatment and screening, the number of cancer survivors in this country is increasing greatly each year. And therefore, it is very important that we have a strong collaboration with our primary care colleagues in terms of providing excellent care for our patients following completion of primary treatment. So in my practice, it definitely is a collaboration. I'm fortunate to work with so many wonderful primary care physicians [and] we work together in terms of monitoring our patients' blood pressure, risk for cardiovascular disease, risk for diabetes and other chronic diseases, and certainly when it comes to other lifestyle interventions, such as weight management, management of substance abuse, et cetera. So that collaboration is really key. And I see primary care providers already playing a huge role in survivorship care. And I think that will continue to grow in time to come. ASCO Daily News: Well, as you said, the number of cancer survivors continues to grow. It's projected to increase to 22 million in the United States by 2030. So do you think the focus on lifestyle medicine will increase in the future? Let's start with Dr. Desai. Dr. Poorvi Desai: Yeah, I think that this has to become one of the major things that we regard. I think that most oncologists are very aware that our treatments are--they have long term consequences. We had mentioned in our article that there are two major themes to look at when it comes to survivorship care. One is infection-related mortality. But the other big one, which is what we focused on, was lifestyle--cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, accelerated aging with telomere shortening and metabolic changes that happen after cancer diagnosis and the treatments that patients receive. So a lot of what we are subjecting our patients to is truly aging in nature. And we have evidence to suggest that we can work on these lifestyle modifications as the forefront way to really help them overcome the fact that we have given them radiation to their chest or cardiotoxic medications, or whatever it may be. And that when they are overweight or obese, this can then further accelerate that process of metabolic aging. I think one of the things that's really important to talk about is assessing metabolic health. And so not just looking at their BMI, but how does their BMI actually break down into metabolic patterns? How much of this is bone density or muscle weight? We put patients a lot on hormonal treatments, which can then affect their fracture risk moving forward. And I think that we are very well aware of that. And so these are the things that should really be assessed because, like we've mentioned, one of the biggest reasons for, I guess, moving forward with the number of cancer survivors that we're going to have, a lot of it--the focus needs to shift, basically, to long term chronic disease management, in which lifestyle really does play a huge role. ASCO Daily News: Absolutely. Dr. Comander, is there anything else that you'd like to share before we wrap up the podcast today? I certainly do think your article pointed out the importance of using evidence-based guidelines to strive for the best possible outcomes for survivors and patients to prevent newly diagnosed cancers. Dr. Amy Comander: Yes, I think, as summarized in our article, we did provide resources that can help our colleagues address these concerns with our patients, since, again, some of us have not been educated about these topics during our medical training. So in addition to the excellent resources provided by ASCO, I would really refer our listeners to the AICR website, American Institute for Cancer Research. In addition, the American Cancer Society is playing a role in helping provide further education about the role of nutrition and physical activity in cancer survivorship. So the American Cancer Society is a great resource, as is the American College of Sports Medicine when it comes to exercise recommendations. And on their website, they have some great graphics that really illustrate what the recommendations are for exercise and what the benefits are for cancer survivors as well. And finally, we referred to the NCCN during this podcast. And of course, their guidelines are excellent and address these lifestyle behaviors as well. So I would just highlight those resources for our listeners in case they want to get more information. ASCO Daily News: Absolutely, some great resources there. Well, thank you, Dr. Comander and Dr. Desai, very much for sharing your valuable insight with us today on the ASCO Daily News podcast. Our listeners will find a link to your article in our show notes. Thank you very much. Dr. Amy Comander: Thank you so much for the invitation. Dr. Poorvi Desai: Thank you so much. ASCO Daily News: And thank you to our listeners for your time today. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.   Disclosures: Dr. Amy Comander: Consulting or Advisory Role: Advance Medical, Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation, Beam Therapeutics, Biogen, Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, CRICO Harvard Risk Management Foundation, Editas Medicine, GenSight Biologics, Harvard University, infiniteMD, RBC Investments, Sanofi SA, Vedere 1, WAVE Life Sciences Dr. Poorvi Desai: None disclosed.  Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.

Dr. Amy Comander is a hematologist oncologist, who specializes in the care of women with breast cancer. She received her undergraduate degree and a master's degree in Biology at Harvard University. She received her medical degree at Yale University School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency training in hematology-oncology fellowship training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Her interests include finding new treatments for breast cancer and helping her patients achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. After a breast cancer diagnosis. She is also board certified in lifestyle medicine. In this episode, we will talk about the various subtypes of breast cancer treatments, as well as support for survivors. So we will talk about breast cancer incidence, we will also learn about the role that lifestyle medicine plays in reducing your risk for breast cancer but also in reducing the risk for recurrent and current survivors. _______________________________________________________________ Visit Our Podcast Website: www.plantbaseddfwpodcast.com/ ➤YouTube channel: bit.ly/plantbaseddfw ➤Tell us what you think of our show: bit.ly/pbdfwlistener ➤Subscribe to our newsletter: bit.ly/PBDFWnewsletter ➤We are on Audible/write a review: bit.ly/plantbaseddfwaudible ➤You can support us: www.buymeacoffee.com/plantbaseddfw About Plant-Based DFW Podcast: Our podcast is recorded in Dallas, Texas, and features guests from all over the world. We focus on the main topic of LIFESTYLE MEDICINE. Our goal is to provide resources to help you take control of your health. *We address the importance of eating plant-based foods for health, immunity, and to prevent/reverse disease. *We talk about the importance of having a regular exercise routine. *We talk about stress management. *We talk about the importance of having healthy relationships. #drrizwanbukhari #plantbaseddfwpodcast #mayaacosta ______________________________________ More about us: ➤ Visit our website: plantbaseddfw.com/ ➤ Dr. Riz on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr_riz_bukhari/ ➤ Dr. Riz on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DrRizBukhari/ ➤ Join our private Facebook Group: bit.ly/FBplantbaseddfw

Did you know that Dr Amy Comander is a real-life super hero? She is a breast oncologist by training but is now one of Mass General's first “COVID-19 floor” attendings! Please tune in to hear how this crazy week turned even crazier when the hospital turned her oncology floor into a ward for COVID patients and how she graciously took helm of this new service without a second thought. Of course we also talk about her running and marathoning too, we can't forget about that! Please enjoy!