Podcasts about Lymphoma

In this week's episode of the Blood podcast, editor Dr. James Griffin interviews Drs. Christian Gorzelanny and Rebecca Leaf on their latest articles published in this week's issue of Blood. Dr. Gorzelanny discusses compelling evidence for a new mechanism that amplifies their proinflammatory actions in "Lipid nanotubes unmask neutrophils for complement attack", demonstrating the pathological role of this process in a range of inflammatory disorders in order to stimulate intense study of how to regulate nanotube formation for therapeutic benefit. In "Immune thrombocytopenia in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors" Dr. Leaf and colleagues define the incidence, clinical features, and outcomes of ICI-induced immune thrombocytopenia. Showing that ICI-induced immune thrombocytopenia is associated with excess mortality, these data should provide an impetus to greater recognition and to protocolization of effective interventions.

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.  Guest: Stephen Ansell, M.D., Ph.D.  Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is a group of hematologic malignancies originating in the lymphatic system. There are over 60 subtypes of lymphoma with varying degrees of aggressiveness. It can present with a variety of rather subtle symptoms, often making the diagnosis challenging. Although Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is typically managed by a hematologist or oncologist, the primary care provider plays a role in its recognition, preliminary diagnostic tests and supporting patients through their treatment. What are some of the more common symptoms and signs of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma? Which ones should prompt an urgent referral, and what preliminary tests should we do prior to referring the patient? These are some of the questions I'll be asking my guest, Dr. Stephen Ansell, Chair of the Division of Hematology at the Mayo Clinic. The topic for this podcast is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  Connect with us! Mayo Clinic Talks Podcast Season 6 | Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development 

“Cancer didn't just change my life; in a lot of ways, it saved it.” In this episode, Nick speaks with writer and cancer survivor Edward Miskie about identity, resilience, and rebuilding life after cancer. Edward shares his journey through alcoholism, a rare and aggressive cancer diagnosis at 25, and the emotional fallout of survival. He opens up about losing who he was, shedding old identities, learning to create a new version of himself, and the power found in asking yourself what you truly want. What to listen for: Cancer stripped away his sense of identity and derailed every plan he had for his life. Coping took many unhealthy forms, such as alcohol, casual sex, and escapism, etc. All attempts to feel “normal.” Humor, community, and intentionally creating fun moments helped him survive emotionally. After treatment ends, survivors lose their daily medical support system and feel like they're free-falling. “The question that changed everything for me was simply: What do you want?” Asking what we want puts us back in charge of our lives Whether you're in tune with your intuition or not, asking what you want will most often bring up an answer, even if it's surface-level; it's a start Taking charge of your life doens't always mean taking action first; it often starts with a simple question “Humor and fun helped me survive the darkest moments, even when it felt impossible.” Escaping or bypassing is never the answer to healing; however, a subtle mental shift can be just what is needed to keep moving Finding “fun” and humor in life often leads to quicker resiliency Life sucks at times. Why not have fun as best we can in every situation, no matter how dark or dire? About Edward Miskie Edward is currently celebrating 13 years as a sole survivor of a rare Non_Hodgkin’s Lymphoma with the publishing of his book Cancer, Musical Theatre, & Other Chronic Illnesses, available at Barnes & Nobel, Apple Books, Walmart, Amazon, and others. For the last 20 years, Edward has spent his life in NYC writing, producing, and performing. https://www.edwardmiskie.com/ https://www.remissionfilmfest.com/ https://instagram.com/edwardmiskie https://www.tiktok.com/@edwardmiskie Resources: Check out other episodes about life change from cancer Cancer Doesn’t Define Your Life, You Do, Embrace The Suck Unpacking A Five-Time Cancer Survivor's Journey With Shariann Tom Interested in starting your own podcast or need help with one you already have? https://themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com/podcasting-services/ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089 Listen to other episodes here: https://themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com/ Watch Clips and highlights: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA Guest Inquiries right here: podcasts@themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show” Click Here To View The Episode Transcript Nick McGowan (00:01.23)Hello and welcome to the Mindset and Self Mastery Show. I’m your host, Nick McGowan. Today on the show we have Edward Miske. Edward, how are doing today? Edward Miskie (he/him) (00:11.107)How are you? Nick McGowan (00:12.376)I’m good, I’m good. I know we’ve had just a little bit of technical issues getting things started, but here we are. I’m excited to talk to somebody who’s from the Northeast. I know when I was describing how the show would be, I was like, here’s kind of a Northeast can of how it’s gonna be. But we’re gonna talk about a pretty fucking heavy topic that sadly a lot of people either experience or know somebody that is going through it or has gone through it. And I fucking hate cancer and I know you do as well. So man, I’m glad that you’re here. Why don’t you get us started? Tell us what you do for a living and what’s one thing most people don’t know about you that’s maybe a little odd or bizarre. Edward Miskie (he/him) (00:51.36)Sure, okay, so I pay my bills working in corporate America, but outside of that, I’m a writer and I consider myself to be a producer in either live or TV film world. It’s been a long journey. I used to do musical theater and some TV and film, and here we are. Here we have landed in this kind of iteration of that life. thing about me that is kind of weird, bizarre. actually like, and this might be a little bit mild for you, but like, I consider myself more recently than not to be an introvert. And I always thought that I was an extrovert, but that was actually just because I was drinking enough to become an extrovert to kind of like, settle the introverted, introverted want to go home. And I felt kind of obligated to fight that and stay out and be around people and do all the social things. there is a point to which I really did like that. But it just turned me into an alcoholic. And so I stopped drinking and embraced the fact that I’m more of an introvert than anything. Nick McGowan (02:08.718)I don’t think that’s mild and actually man, that’s spot on with my own life. I think there are a lot of us that think, we have to do this sort of thing. Like we have to go out. Like people work in a corporate office, let’s say every Thursday night, everybody goes out to this one specific bar for happy hour. And they all talk about the one person who’s an idiot in their job or whatever else. And they all just do those things. And there are people that are like, well, I want to be part of that crowd. So I’m going to do that. I think that should even ties back to when we were kids. Like there are certain people that didn’t experience drinking in high school, others that were like, everybody fucking come with me. I got it. We’re going to the woods, you know? Edward Miskie (he/him) (02:37.654)No, it- Edward Miskie (he/him) (02:43.992)yeah. Little column A, little column B. But yeah, is especially like having, like I said, in theater for so long. Being in New York City, it’s very hard to be introverted in New York City. I remember reading something recently that was like, I’m actually an extroverted introvert in the sense that like, I am pretty comfortable in a social setting. I am very comfortable doing stuff like this. Nick McGowan (02:47.957)Yeah. Edward Miskie (he/him) (03:10.102)But if you throw me in a social setting where I don’t know anyone, I immediately clam up and disappear. it, that’s what the alcohol was for. You know, and then, and then COVID hit and that just spiraled out of control and then, you know, here we are. So, you know, that I think that is probably the weird thing about me that people might not guess if they know me. Nick McGowan (03:19.022)Yeah, yeah, lube you up. Nick McGowan (03:32.504)Well, how long have you been sober now? Edward Miskie (he/him) (03:35.632)it’ll be two years end of March. So like year and a half. Nick McGowan (03:39.822)Cool, nice. That’s not a thing that most people kind of just bring up, you know, unless you’re like, I don’t know, being grossly boisterous about it. Like, hey, I stopped drinking a year and a half ago. The fuck, we’re not even talking about that. Yeah, like, well, okay. Or CrossFitters. Yeah, or Vegan CrossFitters, watch out. Edward Miskie (he/him) (03:47.99)Look at me! Right, it’s like vegans. I’m vegan. or vegan, God, the worst. Yeah, no, I mean, it’s, I think I said to you offline, like, I literally wrote a book about my life that is not does not put me in a good light. And so I just have a very low threshold for things that like, I’m sensitive about talking about. So like being a full raging alcoholic, that’s nothing. Nick McGowan (04:19.534)Sure, yeah. That was the fun times. Yeah, that’s funny. I’m sure there are more people than not that listen to this that have like, at some point thought maybe I have a little bit of a problem. And maybe that was the end of it. You know, like, I realized at one point, I’m drinking a lot. And this isn’t helping me. It’s actually stopping me from doing things. Like I remember one time telling myself, I’m gonna go to the gym today. It’s like, no, you’re not. Edward Miskie (he/him) (04:22.984)Right, miss those days. Nick McGowan (04:48.402)It’s 11 o’clock and you’ve already had two drinks. I was like, I’m not going to the gym today. And the next day being like, that sucks, man. That’s gross. And I hate it or whatever. And I was like, I don’t even want to go outside because I’m making these choices to do this. So, but if you get to that door, you can then make a choice through that. Like we’d even said, kind of offline, like you had to get to a door to be able to be where you’re at today with all this. But let’s break down the alcoholism in a sense, going out and being around with people. Edward Miskie (he/him) (04:52.277)Oof. Nick McGowan (05:18.094)Excuse me, being in the industry, being in the conversations, all that sort of stuff can be weird for people if they don’t have a drink. And going out after the fact when you’re no longer drinking, it’s like, you just don’t want to stand here with this thing? Edward Miskie (he/him) (05:34.027)Yeah, it’s like it that that part I’m fine with. And like up into a certain point, like when people start getting shitty, then I’m that’s my cue to leave. That’s usually the barometer I go by. I’m not like triggered being in a bar. I’m like, cool to be around it. It’s not a big deal. I just don’t like it just makes me feel gross. And I just don’t want to do it. It’s it’s when I’m around people who are getting a little unruly and on the drunk scale that I’m kind of like, okay, well, that’s my cue to go because we’re no longer on the same plane. Nick McGowan (05:36.686)Good. Nick McGowan (05:43.726)Sure. Nick McGowan (05:52.302)Yeah. Nick McGowan (06:02.442)Yeah, Irish exit your way on out. I’m glad that you say that there are certain people that are they’re hesitant to stop drinking or stop doing whatever that thing is that they do, because that’s kind of how they hang out with those friends. That’s how they hang out their family, you know. Edward Miskie (he/him) (06:05.246)Yeah, just like, good night guys, bye! Edward Miskie (he/him) (06:20.596)I mean, yeah, I mean, that’s that’s part of the reason why I drank a lot because that was my social social circle. And it was just kind of like, well, if I stopped drinking, like, they’re not going to ask me to come out with them anymore. And like, low key, that’s what happened in the long run. But like, you know, it was it was a huge buildup. You know, I started really kind of drinking pretty heavily in like, I don’t know, 2010. I drank my way through chemo, I drank my way through my 20s and my early 30s. And then I just hit a point where I was like, I don’t, I want to see if I can go a certain period of time without it. And like it was during COVID, I had actually built up my tolerance, like an actual fucking champion and blew through a bottle of Jameson within like four or five hours. And I wasn’t drunk and I wasn’t hung over the next day. And that was kind of like the whole, hmm. Nick McGowan (07:13.838)That’s a sign. Yeah. Edward Miskie (he/him) (07:14.71)Okay, maybe I should stop now. And then like my doctor was like, your liver numbers are out of control. What are you doing? So we had we had to do a quick course correct, but I wouldn’t I never actually went fully sober because of that because I was like afraid of the social component of it going away. So I would do like 100 days here 100 days there 200 days was I think 210 days was as long as I had ever gone. And then this spring or spring 2024. Nick McGowan (07:22.382)man. Edward Miskie (he/him) (07:43.127)I just was like, I’m gonna do a year. That’s the longest I would have gone ever. So let me try that and let me go for a year. And then a year hit and I was like, oh, like, I should like ceremoniously break this and then I’ll never be sober for more than a year. And like, I’ll just go out and have one drink and it’ll be totally fine. the day came and went and I was like, I don’t want to. I’m good. So here we are a year and a half later and I’m still. Still on the sober train. Nick McGowan (08:13.358)And that’s cool. mean, for everybody that’s listening that is having one or six you Damn. All right. So, yeah, well, I’m gonna start that over again, because at least now I know that there’s a problem. Because like I said, last episode, I was still like, yeah, sure, with like the laptop up. So I’m gonna clip this part out. All right, so three, two. So whether it’s one or six drinks, I mean, the people that are out there kind of thinking like, I know I have probably a little too many, but I don’t really think that there’s much of a problem. I think there’s stuff where we have to think about Edward Miskie (he/him) (08:25.91)It’s all good. heard one or six. Great. Nick McGowan (08:55.03)Like you said about your liver, like your liver enzymes are probably crazy that you don’t know that you potentially have fatty liver that you have to deal with now. And there are different things that could come up. Like, I don’t know, I don’t want to sound like somebody that’s like, you shouldn’t drink and finger wag and all that. But it’s like, in some ways, the older we get, the more that we can look at the shit that we did when our twenties and thirties and go, my God, what’s going on inside my body right now? Like you kind of just blew straight past it that you drank through chemo. Time out, back to the chemo. Give us context here. Edward Miskie (he/him) (09:29.534)I had cancer. It was a very rare non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. There were only about like 900 or so cases of it reported worldwide at the time. It’s called rare and large B-cell Burke. It’s like non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It’s very aggressive. You could watch my tumor grow. It was the grossest thing in the world. And it was a very dire emergency situation. And I think maybe like two or three rounds of chemo in and I just asked, it was two, was round two. And I asked my oncologist if I could have a drink and she was like, yeah, just one or two, but don’t go crazy. And then I promptly left the hospital and went to my friend’s bar and went crazy and had like doubles the whole night. it was, and like she knew that I had was going through, like going through it and she was trying to help and be like, free alcohol, take it, whatever, whatever, whatever. And then just, you know. that’s that kind of like opened the floodgates of like, you can drink during chemo. That’s fine. And and I did. Nick McGowan (10:31.03)I mean, for anybody that drinks even slightly, they’re probably gonna listen and be like, of course you’re gonna drink. I would drink. Edward Miskie (he/him) (10:38.558)Well, right. What my justification of it was like, well, you know, liver wise, like it’s not chemo. This is like water at this point. So like we’re good. Nick McGowan (10:50.672)the things that will justify, know, like, you know, other poison or this poison I’ve been used to for a while. Why do I use one as a back, you know, like a piggyback? Thank you. It’s a dessert. man. Because you’re piling alcohols in. Edward Miskie (he/him) (10:53.598)Right Actual poison or we’re curated poison. Pick one, you Yeah, the liver is like, oh well, that’s not methotrexate. So cool. We’ll have a little a amuse-bouche Edward Miskie (he/him) (11:16.926)yeah yeah yeah like what a respite from chemo was was bourbon Nick McGowan (11:19.924)Yeah, jeez, jeez. I mean, it makes sense. Part of the reason why I have the show is to talk about those super dark times, like the times where you’re sitting there. Like, I’m sure I’m not, I’m not you, obviously. So I can’t think and remember this, but I can almost picture you sitting there with a glass in your hand, a couple fingers of scotch or whatever it is, thinking like, huh, this is where I’m at right now. And like, what a fucking time to think about all that stuff and still put that shit in your body. Cause you, in some ways I’m sure you’re like, I just want to feel a little happy, a little something. Edward Miskie (he/him) (11:54.433)Well, it wasn’t even so much a question of feeling happy because like I was 25 when I was diagnosed, right? So like I was still a young person, relatively speaking. I mean, I was a young person. I’m almost 40 now. So like, you know, whatever. But it wasn’t so much about like having that introspective moment of like, I guess this is my life now. It was more like, fuck this. I’m going out and having fun. This shit isn’t going to stop me and I’m going to drink my way through this. And it it very quickly became a coping mechanism along with a number of other things. And like, and it’s a big narrative that I carry through where it’s just like the coping mechanisms of having cancer and then again, the coping mechanisms of surviving it. You know, alcohol was certainly one of them. I had tried like pot for the first time during this period of time. And that was like pre like retail available. So like you were just hoping for whatever the dosage was, and I didn’t know shit about dosage. So like, the friends that I had at the time, like baked brownies. And like, back then, you just like threw a little nug in some butter and hope for hope for the best. And they were bombs. Like, and they were going off, especially if you were mixing. But you know, it was like those two things that like indiscriminate sexual strangers, because I just wanted to feel like hot and normal, even though I was like bloated and bald from chemo. So Nick McGowan (12:50.848)Yeah. Nick McGowan (13:00.886)Some of them are bombs. Yeah. Edward Miskie (he/him) (13:18.526)It was one of the many coping mechanisms that I developed during that period of time. Nick McGowan (13:24.096)So I don’t want people to ever go through anything like this ever. I mean, it sucks that we people go through really, really tough and difficult times, but I mean, it also shapes us. Like going through these really trying and like devastating times, you get through it, you are ultimately changed no matter what. Like I have not been through cancer personally, but I’ve had lots of family and different friends and people that I’ve known that have had it. And it almost seems like it’s like one in like every other person at this point. But then again, like all the stuff that we go through, be it cancer, be it some drastic change, be it some career you’ve had for 15, 20 years and you go, what the fuck am I doing? I didn’t want to be here 25 years ago. Whatever those changes are, that shit can stop us from making additional changes. You were kind of forced in a sense with cancer. Like you had to deal with it. You could not. Yeah. Edward Miskie (he/him) (14:19.604)Right, there was no option. I was told I wouldn’t live past 30 if I didn’t do anything. Nick McGowan (14:24.854)But as a 25 year old, you’re right. I mean you’re a kid at that point. I can’t remember being 25. Like I know every fucking thing in the planet. Now you look back and like, oh. Edward Miskie (he/him) (14:28.682)Yeah. Yeah. Edward Miskie (he/him) (14:32.992)my god, I was a, I was a dumbass. Like what and then you give me cancer, like, of course, I’m gonna the dumbassery is going to continue through it. And in a lot of ways, even though like, even though it was awful, cancer saved my life, and it changed it in a good way. And that took a long time to kind of come to terms with that wasn’t like, my god, you’re cancer free. And I’m like, thank god that happened. I didn’t want to talk about it for years. It just became like a thing I would drop into conversation and passing where they’d be like, where were you for the last year? Like, I had cancer moving on, you know, and it just didn’t want to, I didn’t want it to become my personality. And as I, as I’ve aged, I’ve kind of made a little mini career out of it and has become my personality. You know, I probably, I was probably fighting it to be so honest with you. Nick McGowan (15:24.874)Maybe you kind of knew it was coming, you know, like, yeah. Along with being an extrovert, which you’re not, and like fighting that as well. man. Yeah, that, I can’t imagine how something that drastic couldn’t change you, but I also think that there’s, the purpose that we have in our own lives was part of us being here and what we were brought into this planet with. Edward Miskie (he/him) (15:30.378)Ha ha ha! Right, right, yeah. Nick McGowan (15:53.12)but everything will shape us. The environment shapes us, technology shapes us, all this stuff. So what a cool thing for you to tie film along with your journey. Like you and I connected because you’re looking for people that can talk about their cancer story in basically a real YouTube short clip that’s going to be part of a documentary that will ultimately help people even if they go, I’m going through this now and I don’t know what to do. Here’s some sort of I’m not alone feeling from this. Like you unfortunately had to go through this shit to ultimately be able to do this and be able to help a lot of people. So talk to us a bit about getting up to the point of like, want to create a documentary, to create a film festival and then actually doing something with it. Edward Miskie (he/him) (16:41.558)Well, I’m always doing something. Friends and family know that I’m never sitting still. Grass can’t grow on a rolling stone or moss can’t grow on a rolling stone, whatever that phraseology is. That’s me. And it was right after I was told I was cancer free that I just, I think that, and I’ve learned this to be kind of the general consensus that you’d think that you’re just going to go back to the way that your life was before. And it’s like, oh great, this is done. know, okay, we’re finished here, Wrinkle in Time, we’re gonna meet me, this me is gonna meet me back here where I am currently, and we’ll just go from there. And that is effectively not what happens. I fought that for years, where I thought that I could just shove myself back into the life I had before, and it always felt off. And maybe to the outsider, who is not me, it looked like I successfully did that, you know, I was a working actor for a long time. And I was going through the motions of the life that I had before, but the entire time I felt so out of place and I felt off and I couldn’t figure out why. And as I started to speak to other people who had been through the cancer experience and come out on the other side, every single one of their stories was the same. I can’t stand the people I’m around. They’re irritating me. I don’t want to go to work. I mean, that’s a normal feeling, but like in a different way. where it’s like, what am I fucking doing? Like, I don’t want to do this. And it shifts your relationship, relationships not only with other people in your life, but with yourself. And there isn’t a whole lot of conversation about it. There’s not a whole lot of resources for it. And so what I wanted to do, the more and more I talk about this independently, whether it be on other podcasts or whether it be through something else I’m working on, it’s why I wrote my first book is that I want to have the conversation not only of like the hard parts of having cancer, because I think a lot of times people just look at you like a cancer patient, and you’re not really a person anymore. And so the conversations of relationships, dating sex really, then and, you know, body image and everything else kind of go away. Because, you’re a sick person, you shouldn’t be fussing about that. Okay, well, I was a 25 year old guy, like, and I’m very vain. So like, Nick McGowan (18:59.734)Hmm. Edward Miskie (he/him) (19:06.654)Of course, I was going to be thinking about this. and so those conversations paired with the after cancer conversations and how your life just is complete, a complete unrecognizable thing that like you’re existing in and it’s like it’s like dreams, you know, like when you have a dream and in the dream, you like understand that you’re in your house, but it doesn’t look like your house. That’s what it’s like you come out and you’re like, I recognize everything, but I feel so displaced. Nick McGowan (19:08.853)Hmm. Nick McGowan (19:28.778)Mm-hmm. Edward Miskie (he/him) (19:36.363)and I don’t recognize anything that’s happening. And so you spend a lot of time like I did trying to grasp to get back at that desperately and in so many different ways to try and feel the way that you used to feel before you had cancer. And that’s just not going to happen. And my, I think my impression that I would like to leave with people who are maybe newly cancer free or are presumably going to be soon is that like just fucking kill off the person that you were before early. Because the sooner you let go of that person, the sooner you can create a new one that is going to be better and have better context and better understanding of your life and your wants. And it’s very much a clean slate. It’s almost, medically speaking, I had a stem cell transplant. That’s not the case with everybody else, but medically speaking, like my immune system was a little baby. Nick McGowan (20:08.694)you Nick McGowan (20:33.45)Hmm. Edward Miskie (he/him) (20:33.576)And so like, in a very literal sense, like my body was infantile and like, didn’t look at but you know what I mean? Like on the inside, the actual clock running on the immune system was was a little baby. And so like, I should have really treated myself the same in the sense that there I have no history from that point on, there’s no history, there’s no context to start over. And I wish I would have done that sooner. Nick McGowan (20:41.366)you Nick McGowan (20:52.904)Yeah. Well, it sounds like it’s almost like shedding skin in a sense. Like, but that. Edward Miskie (he/him) (21:01.224)yeah, 100%. And especially in almost in a literal sense too, not that your skin is like falling off or unless you’ve had radiation in which case then yes it is. there are pictures, they’re not nice. But like you don’t look the way that you did before cancer really ever again. You know, and like, relatively speaking, I don’t think I look I’ve ever looked at the way that I did before cancer ever again. And maybe that partially had to do with my age and getting older and whatever. But, you know, you you go into it looking one way and then you get in there and you’re completely wrecked and you look very different during and then after it’s like a rebuilding stage and you bounce back and think your hair comes back curly or sometimes it comes back white or sometimes it doesn’t come back at all and There’s so many different versions of how you change through that whole process that like on the other side, it’s just like, what skin am I wearing? Who is this? Nick McGowan (22:07.846)And with that, it also changes you, you know, as the soul and the being inside. What a cool thing to think about from the perspective of, if you’re changing, you’re changing. So go with it. But that’s not a thing you could have really, I don’t know, I’ve only known you for a little bit, but like, I’m sure somebody at 25 and they’re like, you’re gonna love the person you’re gonna be, probably would have started off with fuck you and. anything after that would have just been how you felt about yourself in that moment right then and there. As a 25 year old kid too, you are still forming who you think you want to be. Even if you’re a little further ahead in where you are, like you’re still a couple of years ahead of maybe somebody who’s 22 or whatever. But you have this idea in your head of this is where I think I’m going. And then that all changes. So for you now to be able to look back and say like, all right, well, I could have flown or like enjoyed that a little bit more and gone with it. I think that’s crucial for people no matter what age. you also have different points. Like 30, you look a little different. 35, you feel a little different. 40, your knees just fucking hurt. Yeah, exactly. And you’re like, what happened? Like, why is my back hurting? I slept for eight hours. That was the problem. But like life just happens and. Edward Miskie (he/him) (23:20.958)And you start to look a little different too. Edward Miskie (he/him) (23:30.422)Yeah. Nick McGowan (23:32.81)I think we have to look at ourselves in the mirror differently at different times anyway. But for those people that are, I don’t know, about to go through something like that, not even just cancer, because I think this kind of ties across different major shifts and changes. What advice would you give to them to be able to say like, hey, keep on that track, but here’s how it go about it. Edward Miskie (he/him) (23:57.653)mean, I know several people who have written books that are like the blueprint to going through cancer. And I think that is helpful. And there’s certainly a place for that. I think I think that there is no blueprint and no guidebook because everyone is different. And every circumstance is different. And every prognosis is different. And the treatment I get is not going to be the same treatment that someone else gets. And so it’s very difficult to kind of articulate like, do this. And the only And I mean, as unfun as the realities of cancer are, and the need to like basically force feed yourself so that you have strength enough to get through it and and like all that crap, even though you don’t want to. I think, I mean, the during the during portion, like, try to have fun, like, really try to have fun. I would invite friends over to like my hospital room and we have like pizza parties. with hospital food. Like it was fun. Like it was a shitty circumstance. It was fucking terrible. But like we made the best of it. And being surrounded by friends and family really helped that. And it’s certainly a way to fight it. You know, like there’s only so much fighting you can do in a hospital bed and like with doctors and nurses around you and this, that and the other. like, try to have fun, make the best of it. Like that’s, and I feel shitty saying that, you know, because like facing that if you would have if you would have said if you would have told newly diagnosed 25 year old me to like have fun and be like fuck you you dumb cunt what are you talking about? So that that’s I feel like that’s a pretty hard bill to swallow and I apologize if that comes up. Oh my god you have cancer have fun. Nick McGowan (25:43.484)I mean. Well, I mean, there are things like, I think you can go through shit where you can tell somebody like, man, it’s going to be rough, but here’s what I learned from it or whatever. I’m glad that you went to them. You don’t have, I guess, the right or the authority or all the information even to be able to say, here’s the exact blueprint. Because that is never the thing. Like context and everybody’s situation is always different no matter what it is. But for you to be able to think back to yourself of like, hey, go have fun. Okay, you probably would have told yourself to go fuck off. In all reality, like you’re still right because you’ve been through all that. And there’s still stages just like grief, just like anything else, you go through all those stages. But then with the clarity, here you are doing these things. So with the people that are on their path towards self mastery, maybe you’ve had cancer or they’re in remission or they know somebody that’s had cancer, what sort of advice would you give to them as they’re on their path towards self mastery? Edward Miskie (he/him) (26:46.666)Who? I might have to just talk this one through. think my first reaction is when you have cancer actively, there is no path to self mastery because every single day is just a curve ball. And I feel like that sounds a little womp-womp and I don’t mean it to, but the last thing on my mind when I was in treatment was like, how can I self master? Self master bait, maybe, but that’s a different conversation. but I do think that there is, there is room to like, live in the active cancer space during treatment and like, make sure that you take moments to appreciate the people around you. And to recognize those who are helping you from a from a good place, because there are certainly people that are going to show up that are not there from a good place. And that’s much longer conversation, but I would say like be fine find a way to be present and acknowledge the people around you and Appreciate the fact that they’re there Nick McGowan (28:00.38)seems important kind of no matter what’s going on but probably really critical for you to look at in such a heavy time of like what the fuck I could imagine most times you can go in through cancer you just don’t want to even anything let alone have fun Edward Miskie (he/him) (28:11.734)you yeah. No, when I’m listening, I’m not trying to paint this picture that like everyday was rainbows and sparkles. Like it certainly was not. But like there, there were definitive points where I made a purposeful decision to have fun, or do something that was like really out of the ordinary from my day to day. And one thing like, maybe this is off topic, but one thing that I do want to add to the whole transitioning out of cancer thing is like, the again, the misconception of what that Nick McGowan (28:23.702)Sure. Edward Miskie (he/him) (28:46.64)looks like, right? You know, like you think you’re cancer free, you’re told that you’re cancer free, and everything is going to be amazing. And that you’re you get to go back to your life, right? But I think what people don’t understand, and they couldn’t understand, because they haven’t been in that situation, perhaps, is that like, when you’re being treated, all of the nurses and all the doctors and all the social workers and all the people running, you know, medical studies and whatnot that you inevitably get shoved into, are like a very concrete support system. And when you’re told that you’re cancer free, all of that goes away, essentially overnight. And so that’s like, it’s another contributing factor to looking around at your life and being like, I don’t know what to do, because you’re also free falling. You’re free falling from like this network of people that have been holding you up for however long and telling you where to go and what appointments to go to and what to eat and what not to eat and how to take your medication and when to take it and like every single moment of your life is dictated and then all of sudden it’s not. And that’s like, again, like a bomb going off, like where am I? What do I do? How do I get up in the morning? What do you mean I don’t have any appointments? And then in like a really kind of sick, twisted, fucked up way, you’re like wishing something would go wrong so you could go back to the hospital to see your doctor and be like, and feel normal because that has become normal. And they’re like, it’s it’s a minefield at my five year cancer free appointment, my oncologist, and I didn’t know this, told me that because I hit five years, I no longer need to see her. And like, you’d think like, my god, I hit five years. That’s great. I cried because I was going to miss her. And like, she was great. I loved her. But like, talk about like an unexpected reaction of like, what do mean, I’m not going to see you anymore? Nick McGowan (30:28.502)Mm. Edward Miskie (he/him) (30:39.24)It like very much was like a weird fucked up breakup. Nick McGowan (30:42.602)Hmm. And a very heavy time of your life. Like these relationships that, yeah, that’s, that’s crazy. I, people that don’t have situations like that don’t think about it. that way, I mean, it can almost be like, some jobs that you’re in, you can be familial and there’s some that like push too much of that, but like you work, you work a lot with people or groups or whatever. And then somebody’s just gone or the whole group ended or whatever. Like we all have those little situations at times, but Edward Miskie (he/him) (30:46.154)Yeah. Nick McGowan (31:12.874)the longer that stuff goes and the heavier it is, I feel like that just makes a ton of sense where it’s like all of that just compounds and like this piece of concrete of this is a giant chunk of your life. And these all mean a lot to you specifically now, but God going forward, you’ll have memories for the rest of your life because of all that stuff. Tevi, yeah, man, I’m glad that you bring that up. So thank you for that. And this has been. Edward Miskie (he/him) (31:33.782)for better or worse. Edward Miskie (he/him) (31:39.521)No, of course. And I do want to comment, sorry, I do want to comment to the self mastery thing. One thing I do remember doing, and I still do it now, and I actually end up yelling at people about this too, whenever you kind of like hit a place where you don’t know what to do, you you hit a fork in the road or some major thing changes in your life. And this was kind of a later on during that period of time thing, but I’ve carried it over to now and it’s like kind of the default thing that I do. is I asked myself what I want. And it’s like, it’s like, it has to be a rapid fire response. It cannot be like this existential, like I sat down and journaled about this for five hours, like it has to be like the look at yourself in the mirror and be like, what do you want? Or just like, write it down. I want blood and the first thing that comes to your mind. And I used to, I used to journal a lot more than I do now. But I would have I have pages and pages and pages of like, what do you want? I want I want I want I want I want and I would just make lists and it’d be stupid shit like I want a coffee. I want a car. I want money. I want better hair. I like you just write it down. And that’s like the very general version of that. But I think the more specific version of that is like if you’ve hit a crossroad, you have to ask yourself what do you want? Because so many of us end up acting Nick McGowan (32:42.079)Mm-hmm. Edward Miskie (he/him) (33:02.642)in the shadow of what other people want or what other people expect of us. And that just takes us farther and farther and farther away from who we actually are. This is something I can speak to specifically from cancer. But it’s, it’s something I can also specifically speak to because of being in the entertainment industry, where you are expected to be something you’re not necessarily or you get shoved into a box that like you have to exist in or you don’t work. And I wish I would have had this practice a lot earlier to just be like, what do you want? I want this. What do you want? I want this. if we’re getting a job offer, okay, look at it. What do I want out of this? What is this going to do to serve me? And I think the, the, what do I want situation has really shaped the last couple of years of my life. My life now looks Nick McGowan (33:53.718)Hmm. Edward Miskie (he/him) (33:56.745)exponentially different than it did three years ago, and it’s because I just really sat down with myself and just kept asking me what I wanted. Nick McGowan (34:05.098)Yeah, that’s a good point. think for anybody who, trust their intuition or the people that are real heady and think about things a lot. mean, there are certain people that they have to go off their gut instincts. Like, I’m a sacral lead person, so I even do it with dinners. Like, what are we having for dinner tonight? Sushi? Nah. Thai? Nah. Burgers? Yeah. Or whatever it is. It’s like to have that. But I think even if people can just sit down, and you have to think through things all the times or you have to feel through all of it, just asking yourself that of like, what do I want? There’s something that’s gonna come up, always. I’m glad you pointed out like the normal human shit of like, I want a coffee. Yeah, that makes sense. Cause like that’s what you fucking wanted, right? Edward Miskie (he/him) (34:46.068)Yeah, great. Right. And I think a lot of us, especially people who are over thinkers, I’m related to some of them. But like, there just is so much hesitation. And that takes up so much time when you think too hard about what the answer is. And I think that comes from being a people pleaser and wanting to come up with the right answer that everyone else will also be happy with. And like, Nick McGowan (35:02.784)Mm-hmm. Edward Miskie (he/him) (35:13.174)Again, I know if it’s age, I if it’s cancer, it’s probably a combination of both, but I don’t give a fuck what other people want. I don’t. This is the path that I’m going on that I’ve decided that is right for me, and I don’t give a flying fuck who has to say what about it. Like, you want to pay my rent? Great. Then you get to decide what choices I make. Nick McGowan (35:34.144)Hmm, man, I guess even on that note, the people that are kind of in a spot where they’re like, well, I work for somebody and I have to do what they want me to do because I also need to take a paycheck from them to pay for my mortgage and whatever else. I think we can still do that in a balancing way, but we have to ask ourselves at the basics. Like, what do I want right now? I don’t want to be at this job anymore. So start with that. Or I want to do something different or whatever. Yeah. Edward Miskie (he/him) (35:50.198)100%. Edward Miskie (he/him) (35:56.151)Great, right, then do something else. know, complaining will only get you so far until you actually have to like do something about it. Right, right, right. Well, and that actually ties into like the, I don’t remember what the prompt was in the, before when we were talking offline, but like I literally have a Post-It note on my desk. Nick McGowan (36:06.358)Or it’ll get you to Thursday’s and happy hour and then you can play with the group with him. Edward Miskie (he/him) (36:25.556)that says stop listening to other people telling you what you can and can’t do, what you should or should not be doing, what you are and are not capable of. They do not know you. Stop waiting. Start doing. Fuck them. That is literally on my desk. Nick McGowan (36:39.926)Period. Nice. I love how we all figure out the little things that work for us. Like, yeah, this is going to have this note right here. And yeah, like you get power from it. Edward Miskie (he/him) (36:54.807)yeah, I post- I post the notes all over my apartment. Nick McGowan (36:57.44)Good shit. Man, it’s been awesome having you on. I appreciate you being here. I appreciate you going through the stuff you’ve gone through and setting up the festival and all that stuff. It’s important work you’re doing, man. So before I let you go, where can people find you and where can they connect with you? Edward Miskie (he/him) (37:13.362)you can find, sorry, I just like glitched out. was like, wait, what? You can find me on Instagram or TikTok at Edward Miskey. Also the film festival is called the remission film festival. It is the only festival of its kind that is operating now that is specific to cancer survivors and those impacted by cancer. Everyone who submits to it has a story that they have told through film. And you can find that at remission Film Fest on Instagram and the website as well, which is just a dot com. And that’s and we talked about a book for a hot second. That’s Cancer Musical Theater and other chronic illnesses. And the other book will be coming out later, but we’re not going to talk about that just yet. Nick McGowan (37:57.477)Awesome man, well again it’s been a pleasure having you on, I appreciate your time today. Edward Miskie (he/him) (38:01.025)Thanks anytime.

In this week's episode, Blood editor Dr. Laura Michaelis interviews authors Drs. Marion Falabrègue and Ajai Chari on their papers published in volume 146 issue 24 of Blood. The work of Dr. Falabrègue and colleagues in "Intestinal hepcidin overexpression promotes iron deficiency anemia and counteracts iron overload via DMT1 downregulation" indicates that iron absorption from the apical surface of enterocytes can be modulated through manipulation of the hepcidin-DMT1 interaction, opening new avenues for research and therapeutic manipulation. "Talquetamab plus daratumumab in multiple myeloma" features a phase 1b/2 trial of 65 heavily pretreated patients with MM, where Chari et al combined daratumumab and talquetamab, a GPRC5D-targeting bispecific antibody, reporting depletion of CD38-expressing regulatory T cells following daratumumab and impressive efficacy, with an 80% overall (57% complete) response rate and median progression-free survival of 23.3 months. This regimen is now being evaluated in a phase 3 trial. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.  Guest: Stephen Ansell, M.D., Ph.D.  Hodgkin's Lymphoma is an uncommon but very curable malignancy involving the lymphatic system. It most commonly presents in young adults as well as middle-aged and older individuals. Although Hodgkin's is generally managed by hematologists or oncologists, the primary care provider plays a major role in its recognition, hopefully leading to a timely diagnosis and eventual staging. What are some early signs of Hodgkin's and what preliminary work-up should we do prior to referring the patient for definitive care? How do we monitor those who have had successful treatment of Hodgkin's? These are some of the questions I'll be asking my guest, Dr. Stephen Ansell, Chair of the Division of Hematology at the Mayo Clinic as we discuss Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  Connect with us! Mayo Clinic Talks Podcast Season 6 | Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development 

In our latest podcast we talk to Shannon. With a wedding, a honeymoon and a young daughter just starting at school, Shannon had a lot going on. Health concerns took a bit of a back seat until a business trip to Newcastle resulted in a trip to A&E and the discovery of a tumour in her chest. A biopsy resulted in a diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, with chemotherapy needing to start while Shannon was still away from home. Shannon talks about treatment, how she involved her daughter in everything, and how a selection of wigs worked like magic in finding acceptance of a mother whose loss of hair made it obvious she was poorly. Shannon also talks about looking after herself during treatment, and how her particular perspectives on life helped her to come to terms with diagnosis and treatment so that she could focus on prioritising her mental wellbeing.Lymphoma Voices is a series of podcasts for people living with lymphoma, and their family and friends. In each podcast, we are in conversation with an expert in their field, or someone who has been personally affected by lymphoma, who shares their thoughts and experiences. Lymphoma Action is the only charity in the UK dedicated to supporting people affected by lymphoma. We are here to make sure that everyone affected by the condition receives the best possible information, support, treatment and care. Our services include a Freephone helpline, support group network, Buddy Service, medical information, conferences for those affected by lymphoma, and education and training for healthcare professionals. We would like to thank all of our incredible supporters whose generous donations enable us to offer all our essential support services free of charge. As an organisation we do not receive any government or NHS funding and so every penny received is truly valued. From everyone at Lymphoma Action and on behalf of those affected by lymphoma, thank you. For further information visit: www.lymphoma-action.org.uk

In this week's episode, Blood associate editor Dr. Laura Michaelis interviews Drs. Mark Sorial and Emmanuelle Passegue on their articles published in volume 147 issue 7 of Blood. Dr. Sorial discusses "Early time to relapse as a survival prognosticator in nodal mature T-cell lymphomas: results from the PETAL consortium" where he and his team evaluated the prognostic significance of early relapse in a large retrospective cohort. They report a time to relapse of

Glenn Sturm shares his experience of being diagnosed with aggressive T-cell lymphoma in 2009, initially dismissing the news as a prank. He describes his approach to handling the diagnosis by conducting research and assembling a team of medical professionals, eventually connecting with Dr. Foss at Yale, a leading expert in his type of cancer. Glenn emphasizes his background in building teams and his natural inclination to collaborate, which he applied to his cancer treatment strategy. Glenn shares his personal journey with cancer, highlighting how defining himself through helping others has improved his well-being. He discusses his ongoing chemotherapy and his work on multiple books, including a novel and a book about a multifaceted approach to cancer treatment. Glenn also mentions his commitment to donating proceeds from his astrophotography and photography to Children's Health, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and communication in his cancer treatment. Key takeaways Glenn Sturm has been living with T-cell lymphoma for 18 years, receiving continuous chemotherapy treatment Multidisciplinary cancer care approaches can reduce mortality rates by 18-90% compared to siloed approaches Glenn advocates for building a comprehensive healthcare team that includes specialists beyond oncologists Glenn's upcoming book "More Than Hope" focuses on integrated cancer care approaches Glenn emphasizes the importance of celebrating life and helping others despite health challenges NIH studies show that multidisciplinary approaches to cancer treatment significantly improve survival rates To find out more about Glenn's work visit glennsturm.com Visit ConfidenceThroughHealth.com to find discounts to some of our favorite products.Follow me via All In Health and Wellness on Facebook or Instagram.Find my books on Amazon: No More Sugar Coating: Finding Your Happiness in a Crowded World and Confidence Through Health: Live the Healthy Lifestyle God DesignedProduction credit: Social Media Cowboys

In this heartfelt episode of The Summits Podcast, cohosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah sit down with twin sisters Liz Childers and Norma Unser to share an inspiring and deeply personal conversation about their family's journey with cancer. Liz and Norma open up about how cancer has profoundly impacted their lives, with their mom, Liz, and Norma all facing breast cancer diagnoses. They discuss the emotional and physical challenges of their battles, the critical role of routine screenings in early detection, and the strength they've found in each other. The conversation also highlights the groundbreaking work of the Cancer Vaccine Coalition and the hope it brings for the future of cancer outcomes and prevention. Liz and Norma's story is a powerful reminder of resilience, the importance of advocacy, and the strides being made in the fight against cancer. Learn more about the Cancer Vaccine Coalition: https://cancervaccinecoalition.org/ Shop Lizzie Lu's Crew hats! https://lizzielucrew.com/

Matthew Kutny, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, Julie Guillot, Pediatric AML parent, global advocate, and Blood Cancer United Volunteer, and Kelly Laschinger, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPHON, Blood Cancer United, Washington, DC Recorded on February 19, 2026 Matthew Kutny, MD Professor of Pediatrics Director, Leukemia, Lymphoma and Histiocytosis Program Director, Pediatric Clinical Trials Office Institutional Principal Investigator, Children's Oncology Group (NCI NCTN) Pediatric Hematology and Oncology University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Julie Guillot Pediatric AML parent, global advocate, and Blood Cancer United Volunteer Kelly Laschinger, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPHON Director, Clinical Trial Support Center Blood Cancer United Washington, DC In this episode, Dr. Matthew Kutny from the University of Alabama, and Kelly Laschinger, CPNP and Julie Guillot from Blood Cancer United, break down what clinicians and families need to know about Expanded Access (EA), also known as Compassionate Use, in treating pediatric oncology patients. They clarify key terms, outline when EA should be considered, and walk through how the process works in real-world practice. Their conversation also addresses common barriers, from institutional requirements to sponsor approval, and highlights how pediatric care teams and advocates can work together to navigate them. Tune in for an informative and insightful conversation to help healthcare professionals better understand and utilize Expanded Access! Blood Cancer United Resources: Clinical Trial Support Center Information Resource Center Dare to Dream Project Pediatric Acute Leukemia Master Clinical Trial (PedAL) Mentioned on this episode: Project Facilitate This episode is supported by the Tom Reich Educational Endowment Fund.

Dr. Maya Graham interviews Dr. Lauren Schaff on her manuscript entitled "Ibrutinib in combination with rituximab, methotrexate, vincristine, and procarbazine (R-MVP/i) for newly diagnosed primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL)," published in Neuro-Oncology in January 2026.

This review series focuses on recent advances in resolving macro and molecular structures that have driven the field of occlusive thrombus structure and function forward. Covering multiple contributions to thrombosis, eg, platelets, factor XIII, and the contact system, the series also looks to put this new knowledge into the context of future advances in diagnostic and therapeutic tools to enhance normal hemostasis while preventing and treating unwanted thrombosis. Blood Associate Editor, Dr. Thomas Ortel discusses this series with Drs. Alisa Wolberg, Jonas Emsley, and John Weisel, who all contributed to articles in the Review Series on the Structural Underpinnings of Hemostatic Plugs and Thrombotic Occulsions which can be found in volume 146, issue 12 of Blood. 

During the 3pm hour of Chuck & Chernoff the guys broadcasted live from the Strikeout Leukemia and Lymphoma Radiothon at Beaver Toyotoa in Cumming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the 4pm hour of Chuck & Chernoff the guys broadcasted live from the Strikeout Leukemia and Lymphoma Radiothon at Beaver Toyotoa in Cumming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the 5pm hour of Chuck & Chernoff the guys broadcasted live from the Strikeout Leukemia and Lymphoma Radiothon at Beaver Toyotoa in Cumming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the 2pm hour of Chuck & Chernoff the guys broadcasted live from the Strikeout Leukemia and Lymphoma Radiothon at Beaver Toyotoa in Cumming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of A Couple Takes on MS, we sit down with our pastor, Pastor Dana Hendershot, to talk about one of the biggest questions that can rise up after a diagnosis like MS (or cancer): Why did God let this happen? Dan reflects on 26 years since his MS diagnosis and how faith can change over time, not always through easy answers, but through presence, perspective, and community. Pastor Dana shares the moment her theology of suffering shifted, what she learned during her own cancer journey, and why it's okay to bring every emotion to God. Including anger. We talk about prayer as breath, the difference between “God caused this” and “God is with you in this,” why joy only exists in the present moment, and how hope sometimes looks like being carried by others when you can't carry yourself. In this episode, we get real with Pastor Dana about: • Where God is in diagnosis and suffering • Why it's OK to be angry with God (and why God can handle it) • Prayer as presence and the Spirit as the promise • Theology of the cross vs. theology of glory • Hope, community, and being carried when you're worn down • Finding joy right now and why singing can help shift your mind An open invitation for you, our listeners Where have you felt God's presence during a difficult season in your life? We'd love to hear from you at acoupletakesonms@gmail.com. About our guest: Pastor Dana Hendershot is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and has served as Senior Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, since 2011. Dana holds a degree in psychology with a focus in neuropsychology and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, where her studies explored the intersection of science and faith. In addition to her congregational ministry, Dana serves as Chair of the Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science, and Technology, helping lead national conversations about how theology, scientific discovery, and human curiosity connect. Her writing has appeared in Working Preacher, The Lutheran, and Lutheran Partners, where she brings thoughtful theology into everyday lived experience. In 2023, Dana was diagnosed with Large Cell B Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and underwent extensive treatment. That experience deepened her understanding of the body, vulnerability, and what it means to show up for others with compassion and presence. Dana has also been deeply involved in community advocacy. She helped establish Mount Pleasant's first rotating homeless shelter—Isabella County Restoration House—serves on Central Michigan University's Institutional Review Board, and previously served on the Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida Board of Directors while advocating for farmworker justice alongside the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. *** Remember to rate, review and subscribe to A Couple Takes on MS Podcast for two insightful perspectives on this one multifaceted disease.

Stefan Barta, MD, MS Cutaneous T‑cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a rare condition that often raises important questions for patients and families. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Stefan Barta, of the University of Pennsylvania, to bring clarity to what CTCL is, how it's diagnosed, and what patients can expect from staging and treatment. Dr. Barta breaks down the differences between CTCL subtypes, explains why diagnosing someone can take time, and shares the most up-to-date therapies, including skin directed treatments, immunotherapies, and emerging clinical trial options. Most importantly, he offers reassurance for those newly diagnosed: “The future is absolutely bright… there is a lot of hope for our patients with CTCL.” DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE to participate in our episode survey. Mentioned on this episode: Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation Clinical Trial Support Center Additional Blood Cancer United Support Resources: Free Nutrition Consultations Information Specialists Financial support Online Chat Free telephone/web patient programs Free booklets Young Adult Resources Support groups Caregiver support Caregiver Workbook Survivorship Workbook Advocacy and Public Policy Patient Community Mental Health Resources Episode supported by Kyowa Kirin, Inc. and Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation.The post Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL): Illuminating a Brighter Path Forward first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

In this week's episode, Blood editor Dr. Laurie Sehn interviews authors Drs. Anastasios Karadimitris and Maria Carolina Florian on their papers published in Volume 147 Issue 2 of Blood. Dr. Karadimitris' paper "Off-the-shelf dual CAR-iNKT cell immunotherapy eradicates medullary and leptomeningeal high-risk KMT2A-rearranged leukemia", discusses the success of bispecific CAR-iNKT cells targeting CD19 and CD133 in pre-clinical models, prompting the clinical development of this class of product. Dr. Florian's paper, "A Notch trans-activation to cis-inhibition switch underlies hematopoietic stem cell aging" proposes that the Jagged2/Notch interaction is a key regulator of hematopoietic stem cell divisional symmetry during aging and offers insights that may inform strategies to restore regenerative function in aged hematopoiesis. 

Send a textMorning Prayer (Offer Your Body As Living Sacrifice; Leukemia & Lymphoma; Do All In Name of Jesus Giving Thanks To God)Thank you for listening, our heart's prayer is for you and I to walk daily with Jesus, our joy and peace aimingforjesus.com YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@aimingforjesus5346 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aiming_for_jesus/ Threads https://www.threads.com/@aiming_for_jesus X https://x.com/AimingForJesus Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@aiming.for.jesus

In this week's episode, Blood editor Dr. James Griffin interviews Drs. Paresh Vyas and Andrew Hantel on their research published in this week's issue of Blood. Dr. Vyas discusses his paper, "Rapid clonal selection within early hematopoietic cell compartments presages outcome to ivosidenib combination therapy", which provided new insights as to when and how to intervene to circumvent resistance to AML remission. Dr. Hantel will speak about his paper, "Impact of Modernizing Eligibility Criteria on Enrollment and Representation in AML Clinical Trials". For a real-world cohort of more than 2200 patients with AML, they reported that modernized, safety-based criteria could nearly double trial eligibility, with especially pronounced gains among historically underserved groups.  Both studies highlight how biologic insight and thoughtful trial design can drive more effective, inclusive advances in AML treatment and research. 

In today's episode, our discussion features Tycel Phillips, MD. Dr Phillips is an associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in the Division of Lymphoma at City of Hope in Duarte, California.In our exclusive interview, Dr Phillips discussed updated efficacy and safety data from the phase 2 EPCORE NHL-1 trial (NCT03625037) investigating epcoritamab-bysp (Epkinly) monotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). He noted that the data, which were presented at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting, showed that several patients remained in response beyond 4 years, and that no new major safety signals were reported. Overall, he highlighted that the trial findings continue to support the use of epcoritamab as a third-line, potentially curative option for patients with LBCL. He also spotlighted the promise of synergistic polatuzumab vedotin-piiq (Polivy)–based combinations in the management of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

In this week's episode, Blood Associate editor Dr. Hervé Dombret interviews authors Drs. Sarah K. Tasian and David T. Teachey on their contributions to the How I Treat Series on acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Dr. Tasian's paper, “How I treat Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children, adolescents, and young adults” discusses the different classes of Ph-like ALL and reviews the recent trials investigating TKIs and immunotherapy specifically for this high-risk patient population. Dr. Teachey's paper, “How I treat ETP-ALL in children”, discusses the best current and emerging therapies that may be used in patients with ETP ALL, including nelarabine and other new agents, immunotherapy, and allogeneic HSCT.See the full How I Treat series in volume 145 issue 1 of Blood.

In this episode of TheHemOnc Pulse, Rahul Banerjee, MD, speaks with Francine Foss, MD, professor of medicine and dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, about the evolving landscape of T-cell lymphomas. Dr Foss discusses the unique challenges of studying and treating rare diseases such as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and explains why real-world data are essential to closing evidence gaps. The conversation highlights the role of collaborative registries in tracking treatment patterns, outcomes, and access to care across community and academic settings. Dr Foss also shares how both clinicians and patients can participate in these efforts to strengthen research, inform future clinical trials, and improve outcomes for patients with T-cell lymphomas.

To have Dr. Morse answer a question, visit: https://drmorses.tv/ask/ All of Dr. Morse's and his son's websites under one roof: https://handcrafted.health/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/handcrafted.health 00:00:00 - Intro - New Classes - Formulas 00:16:14 - Burkitt Lymphoma  00:46:14 - Slurred Speech 01:01:04 - Mold 01:09:35 - Eye Pictures 01:21:45 - Anhedonia - Headaches - Brain Fog - Bloating - IBS 01:35:15 - Breast Lump 00:16:14 - Burkitt Lymphoma We would really appreciate guidance on how best to support her body following chemotherapy. 00:46:14 - Slurred Speech I'm having memory issues, and slurred speech at times. 01:01:04 - Mold I'm reaching out because I've been very sick after long-term exposure to mold in my previous home.  01:09:35 - Eye Pictures Can you explain more about brown eyes and the varying degrees of lymph stagnation?  01:21:45 - Anhedonia - Headaches - Brain Fog - Bloating - IBS I'm numb to everything, even to food I eat. I feel no emotions at all. 01:35:15 - Breast Lump We would like to bring the case of our 16-year-old daughter.

BloodCancerTalks: ASH 2025 Lymphoma RoundupGuest: Dr. Carla Casulo, Associate Professor, Wilmot Cancer Centre, University of RochesterAbstracts DiscussedFollicular LymphomaEPCORE-FL1 (Falchi) - Epcoritamab plus lenalidomide-rituximab (R2) in relapsed/refractory FLTheme: Bispecific antibody combinations in R/R FL; comparing to other approaches Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) - Elderly/Unfit PatientsMorningSun (Sharman) - Mosunetuzumab monotherapy in patients ≥80 years or chemo-ineligibleEPCOR-DLBCL-3 (Vitolo) - Epcoritamab monotherapy in elderly patientsR-Pola-Glo - Rituximab-polatuzumab-glofitamab combination in older/frail patientsTheme: Single-agent and combination bispecific strategies for elderly and frail DLBCL patients DLBCL - First-Line TreatmentSMART STOP (Westin) - Chemotherapy-free approach using lenalidomide, tafasitamab, rituximab, acalabrutinib (ULTRA regimen)FrontMIND - Tafasitamab-lenalidomide added to R-CHOPTheme: Chemotherapy-sparing and chemo-intensification strategies in newly diagnosed DLBCL DLBCL - Relapsed/RefractoryDALY 2-EU (Borchmann) - Dual CD19/CD20 CAR-T (zamto-cel) versus R-GemOx in transplant-ineligible patientsTheme: Expanding CAR-T eligibility; treatment selection in transplant-ineligible R/R DLBCL Hodgkin LymphomaSWOG 1826 - 3-year update: Nivolumab-AVD versus brentuximab-AVDHD21 - 5-year update: PET-adapted BrECADD versus BEACOPPTheme: Long-term outcomes and treatment selection in newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma Burkitt LymphomaZUMA-25 (Van Dorp) - Brexucabtagene autoleucel (Brexu-cel) in relapsed/refractory BurkittTheme: CAR-T therapy for the challenging population of R/R Burkitt lymphoma Mantle Cell Lymphoma - First-Line TrAVeRse - Acalabrutinib, venetoclax, rituximabGLOVe - Glofitamab, lenalidomide, venetoclax (high-risk MCL)BOVen - Zanubrutinib, obinutuzumab, venetoclax (older patients)MAVO - Acalabrutinib, venetoclax, obinutuzumabWindow-3 - Acalabrutinib-rituximab followed by brexu-cel (high-risk MCL)Theme: Chemotherapy-free combinations in newly diagnosed mantle cell lymphoma

Featuring perspectives from Prof Michael Dickinson and Dr Laurie H Sehn, including the following topics:  Introduction (0:00) Future Treatment of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) (2:24) Case: A man in his mid 60s with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and early relapse on axicabtagene ciloleucel receives glofitamab — Dr Sehn (8:10) Case: A man in his late 60s with Type 2 diabetes, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receives glofitamab monotherapy after glofitamab with gemcitabine/oxaliplatin for relapsed GCB-type double-hit DLBCL — Matthew Lunning, DO (14:54) Practical Perspectives on the Current Role of Bispecific Antibodies in the Management of Lymphoma — Prof Dickinson (18:00) Case: A woman in her mid 50s with multiregimen-recurrent follicular lymphoma (FL) receives mosunetuzumab — Carla Casulo, MD (35:33) Case: A man in his late 70s with multiregimen-refractory FL receives mosunetuzumab with an ongoing complete response — Dr Sehn (40:05) FL and Other NHL Subtypes — Dr Sehn (45:30) CME information and select publications

Prof Michael Dickinson from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, and Dr Laurie H Sehn from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, discuss clinical cases and recent findings from the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting relating to the use of bispecific antibodies in the management of lymphoma.CME information and select publications here.

Show notes and links: www.chrisbeatcancer.com/how-carl-mason-healed-stage-iv-lymphoma-after-treatment-failed

In this week's episode, Blood Associate editor Dr. Thomas Ortel interviews authors Drs. Ware Branch and J.J. Strouse on their contributions to How I Treat hematologic complications in pregnancy. Dr. Branch's paper, “How I diagnose and treat antiphospholipid syndrome in pregnancy” discusses the evolving clinical and laboratory features of APS, and the treatment of cases meeting ACR/EULAR classification criteria. Dr. Strouse stresses the unique problems posed to both the mother and fetus during pregnancy in his paper "How I treat sickle cell disease in pregnancy”.See the full How I Treat series in volume 143 issue 9 of Blood journal. 

In this episode of the Oncology Brothers podcast, we were joined by Dr. Julie Vose, a leading expert in lymphoma from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Together, we delved into the key abstracts presented at ASH 2025, focusing on significant studies in lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Episode Highlights: ● EPCORE FL-1: the approval of Epcoritamab in combination with Rituximab and lenalidomide for relapsed refractory follicular lymphoma ● CLL-17: comparison between continuous BTK inhibitors and fixed-duration venetoclax with obinutuzumab ● BRUIN CLL-313: insights into the non-covalent BTK inhibitor, pirtobrutinib, and its effectiveness in the frontline setting compared to traditional treatments ● S1826: a three-year update on the use of Nivolumab-AVD versus BV-AVD in advanced-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma, showcasing improved PFS and better tolerability Join us as we unpack these practice-changing studies and discuss their implications for community oncologists. Follow us on social media: •⁠  ⁠X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/oncbrothers •⁠  ⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oncbrothers •⁠  Website: https://oncbrothers.com/ Don't forget to subscribe for more insights and highlights from oncology conferences! #ASH25 #Oncology #Hematology #Lymphoma #CLL #CancerResearch

This week's episode accompanies the Review Series on Marginal Zone Lymphoma published in this week's issue of Blood. Associate editor, Dr. Philippe Armand interviews authors Dr. Juan Pablo Alderuccio and Dr. Ariela Noy on their contribution to this review series titled "The treatment of marginal zone lymphoma". The article is crucial in highlighting the clinically and biologically heterogenous nature of MZL diseases, and how current treatment options and available research do not allow for comprehensive MZL specific therapies. Drs. Alderuccio and Noy share their insights on specific avenues for the expansion of the MZL care landscape. Find the full review series in volume 147 issue 2 of Blood journal.

In this week's episode we've pulled a vault recording from 2025! Blood editor Dr. Laurie Sehn interviews authors Drs. David-Alexandre Trégouët and Johannes Schetelig on their research published in volume 146 issue 19 of Blood journal. Dr. Trégouët's study conducted a genome-wide association study supplemented by transcriptome and Mendelian randomization analyses to identify 28 loci and proteins associated with VTE recurrence risk. This work provides genomic evidence that inherited variants contribute to the risk of VTE recurrence, raising the possibility of a more personalized approach to the prevention of recurrent VTE. The study conducted by Dr. Schetelig and colleagues report the results of a long term trial on patients with poor-response AML, comparing outcomes between patients who received salvage chemotherapy versus immediate transplantation. With no difference in survival rates at 5 years, outcomes seem to be determined mainly by genetic risk factors, age, and comorbidities, therefore challenging the routine use of intensive remission induction before allogeneic transplant in patients with an available donor and underscore the need for novel therapeutic strategies for poor-risk AML.Featured Articles:Molecular Determinants of Thrombosis Recurrence Risk Across Venous Thromboembolism Subtypes Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes in AML: long-term outcomes of the ASAP trial 

In today's episode, the discussion features Joanna M. Rhodes, MD, MSCE, director of Lymphoma and systems head for Lymphoma at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health, alongside Krish Patel, MD, director of Lymphoma Research and executive chair of the Lymphoma Research Executive Committee at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute. Together, they discussed how the chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatment paradigm continues to evolve with advances in targeted therapy. In this exclusive interview, Drs Rhodes and Patel highlighted key disease- and patient-related factors that guide first-line treatment selection, considerations that influence sequencing decisions in later lines of therapy, and how hematologists determine the optimal timing to transition between treatments. They also discussed the clinical distinctions between covalent and noncovalent BTK inhibitors, the current role of pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca) in CLL management, and how its safety profile and emerging data may inform future use earlier in the treatment course. The conversation concluded with reflections on the CLL data presented at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting that were most relevant to clinical practice. nd many of your other favorite podcast platforms,* so you get a notification every time a new episode is posted. While you are there, please take a moment to rate us!

When it comes to your pet's health, there is no word more terrifying than "cancer." The immediate reaction is often fear, followed by a difficult question: "I wouldn't put myself through chemo, so why would I put my dog through it?"In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Rance Gamblin, a veterinary oncologist formerly at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital and now professor at Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine with 24+ years of experience and a calming presence that could soothe even the most "OCD" pet parent (just ask Alice!). Dr. Gamblin helps us navigate the emotional and medical complexities of a cancer diagnosis, explaining why veterinary oncology is often far more compassionate and focused on quality of life than human medicine.In this episode, we discuss:- The "Quality of Life" Philosophy: Why the goals of pet oncology differ from human oncology—focusing on making pets feel better for longer, rather than "curing at any cost."- Common Culprits: A look at the most frequent cancers Dr. Gamblin treats, including Lymphoma, Mast Cell Tumors, and Osteosarcoma.- The Truth About Side Effects: Do dogs lose their hair? Dr. Gamblin shares the reality of how pets handle chemotherapy (hint: there's a lot more tail-wagging involved than you'd think).- Treatment Innovations: Insights into the Yale vaccine study and the fascinating science behind the Melanoma vaccine. -Proactive Pet Parenting: Why Dr. Gamblin's biggest pet peeve is the "let's just watch it" approach, and why your pet's breath or a quick rectal exam could be a lifesaver.- Knowing When It's Time: A heart-to-heart on the "Big Four" indicators of quality of life and how to navigate the toughest decision a pet owner can make.Dr. Rance Gamblin earned his BS in Biology from Mississippi State and completed his residency in Oncology and Hematology at The Ohio State University. For over two decades, he has been a pillar of the veterinary community at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital, known for his expertise, his steady hand, and an accent you'll just have to hear for yourself to guess where he's from! He is currently a professor at Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine.--What started during the COVID-19 lockdown with one baby gorilla at the Cleveland Zoo has grown into a channel loved by animal fans around the world. I'm a one-person operation—filming, editing, narrating, and sharing the most heartfelt moments of baby gorillas, orangutans, elephants, and other zoo animals. Whether it's Jameela's emotional journey or Clementine's first steps, each video brings you closer to the animals and their stories. If you love watching real animal behavior, learning fun facts, and supporting conservation through storytelling—this is your place! Subscribe to Larry's Animal Safari on YouTube @larrysanimalsafari ---Support our sponsor for this episode Blue Buffalo by visiting bluebuffalo.com. BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet formulas offer the natural alternative in nutritional therapy. At Blue Buffalo, we have an in-house Research & Development (R&D) team with over 300 years' experience in well-pet and veterinary therapeutic diets, over 600 scientific publications, and over 50 U.S. patents. At Blue Buffalo, we have an in-house Research & Development (R&D) team with over 300 years' experience in well-pet and veterinary therapeutic diets, over 600 scientific publications, and over 50 U.S. patents.---All footage is owned by SLA Video Productions.

When it comes to your pet's health, there is no word more terrifying than "cancer." The immediate reaction is often fear, followed by a difficult question: "I wouldn't put myself through chemo, so why would I put my dog through it?"In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Rance Gamblin, a veterinary oncologist formerly at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital and now professor at Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine with 24+ years of experience and a calming presence that could soothe even the most "OCD" pet parent (just ask Alice!). Dr. Gamblin helps us navigate the emotional and medical complexities of a cancer diagnosis, explaining why veterinary oncology is often far more compassionate and focused on quality of life than human medicine.In this episode, we discuss:- The "Quality of Life" Philosophy: Why the goals of pet oncology differ from human oncology—focusing on making pets feel better for longer, rather than "curing at any cost."- Common Culprits: A look at the most frequent cancers Dr. Gamblin treats, including Lymphoma, Mast Cell Tumors, and Osteosarcoma.- The Truth About Side Effects: Do dogs lose their hair? Dr. Gamblin shares the reality of how pets handle chemotherapy (hint: there's a lot more tail-wagging involved than you'd think).- Treatment Innovations: Insights into the Yale vaccine study and the fascinating science behind the Melanoma vaccine. -Proactive Pet Parenting: Why Dr. Gamblin's biggest pet peeve is the "let's just watch it" approach, and why your pet's breath or a quick rectal exam could be a lifesaver.- Knowing When It's Time: A heart-to-heart on the "Big Four" indicators of quality of life and how to navigate the toughest decision a pet owner can make.Dr. Rance Gamblin earned his BS in Biology from Mississippi State and completed his residency in Oncology and Hematology at The Ohio State University. For over two decades, he has been a pillar of the veterinary community at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital, known for his expertise, his steady hand, and an accent you'll just have to hear for yourself to guess where he's from! He is currently a professor at Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine.--What started during the COVID-19 lockdown with one baby gorilla at the Cleveland Zoo has grown into a channel loved by animal fans around the world. I'm a one-person operation—filming, editing, narrating, and sharing the most heartfelt moments of baby gorillas, orangutans, elephants, and other zoo animals. Whether it's Jameela's emotional journey or Clementine's first steps, each video brings you closer to the animals and their stories. If you love watching real animal behavior, learning fun facts, and supporting conservation through storytelling—this is your place! Subscribe to Larry's Animal Safari on YouTube @larrysanimalsafari ---Support our sponsor for this episode Blue Buffalo by visiting bluebuffalo.com. BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet formulas offer the natural alternative in nutritional therapy. At Blue Buffalo, we have an in-house Research & Development (R&D) team with over 300 years' experience in well-pet and veterinary therapeutic diets, over 600 scientific publications, and over 50 U.S. patents. At Blue Buffalo, we have an in-house Research & Development (R&D) team with over 300 years' experience in well-pet and veterinary therapeutic diets, over 600 scientific publications, and over 50 U.S. patents.---All footage is owned by SLA Video Productions.

In this week's episode, Blood editor Dr. James Griffin interviews authors Drs. Vincent Muczynski and Mark Geyer on their latest research published in Blood. Dr. Muczynski's research asks if there could there be a better gene than the factor VIII (FVIII) gene to transfer for curative treatment of hemophilia A? Dr. Geyer then explores CAR T cells armed with interleukin-18 (IL-18) secretion that target CD371, a transmembrane glycoprotein with high expression on AML and leukemia-initiating cells. Both studies explore finding novel targets for these powerful treatment modalities. Featured Articles:Alternative AAV gene therapy for hemophilia A using expression of Bi8, a novel single-chain FVIII-mimetic antibodyCD371-targeted CAR T cells secreting interleukin-18 exhibit robust expansion and clear refractory acute myeloid leukemia

In this podcast episode, Jeremy S. Abramson, MD, MMSc, reviews data from select presentations in lymphomas at the ASH 2025 Annual Meeting and provides perspectives on the clinical implications of these data for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), follicular lymphoma (FL), and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including:CLL17: randomized phase III trial of continuous ibrutinib vs fixed-duration venetoclax plus obinutuzumab or venetoclax plus ibrutinib for untreatedCLL BRUIN CLL-313: randomized phase III trial of pirtobrutinib vs BR for previously untreated patients with CLLBRUIN CLL-314: pirtobrutinib vs ibrutinib in treatment-naive and BTKi-naive R/R CLL/SLL EPCORE-FL-1: randomized phase III trial of epcoritamab with rituximab and lenalidomide vs rituximab and lenalidomide for R/R FLSTARGLO: 3-year follow-up data from the randomized phase III trial of glofitamab plus GemOx vs rituximab plus GemOx for patients with R/R DLBCLPresenter: Jeremy S. Abramson, MD, MMScProfessor of MedicineHarvard Medical SchoolDirector, Center for LymphomaMass General Brigham Cancer InsBoston, MassachusettsContent based on an online CME program supported by educational grants from AstraZeneca, BeOne Medicines, Genentech, Geron Corporation, Incyte, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.Link to full program:https://bit.ly/4aqMobZ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, but my symptoms may be caused by something else, per my oncologistI've been taking acidophilus and eating yogurt, but still have diarrhea for the last five months since taking a round of antibioticsThe consequences of antibiotic useMy carotid artery intima-media thickness shows higher than normal thickness. Should I be concerned?

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In this week's episode, Blood editor Dr. Laurie Sehn interviews three of the latest Blood authors: Drs. Vijay Sankaran, Ruud Delwel, Françoise Kraeber-Bodere. Two studies on the MECOM gene have been paired in this episode, analyzing new groundwork for potential novel myeloid differentiation therapies via repression of MECOM restoring enhancer mediated CEBPA expression. We'll also hear about the results of CASSIOPET, imaging companion study of the CASSIOPEIA trial, and how achieving negativity in PET before starting maintenance therapy is significant even in patients who still show residual disease in the bone marrow.Featured ArticlesCEBPA repression by MECOM blocks differentiation to drive aggressive leukemiasMECOM is a master repressor of myeloid differentiation through dose control of CEBPA in acute myeloid leukemia Prognostic value of premaintenance FDG PET/CT response in patients with newly diagnosed from the CASSIOPEIA trial

- Overview of Blood Cancers - New Research Presented at ASH - Disease-Specific Treatment Updates from ASH on Leukemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, & Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) - The Role of Precision Medicine & Clinical Trials - Guidelines to Prepare for Telehealth/Telemedicine Appointments, Including Technology, Prepared List of Questions & Discussion of OpenNotes - Key Questions to Ask Your Health Care Team about Quality-of-Life Concerns - Questions for Our Panel of Expert Speakers

The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is one of the components of the circulatory system, and it serves a critical role in both immune function and surplus extracellular fluid drainage.  Components of the lymphatic system include lymph, lymphatic vessels and plexuses, lymph nodes, lymphatic cells, and a variety of lymphoid organs. The pattern and form of lymphatic channels are more variable and complex but generally parallel those of the peripheral vascular system. The lymphatic system partly functions to convey lymphatic fluid, or lymph, through a network of lymphatic channels, filter lymphatic fluid through lymph nodes and return lymphatic fluid to the bloodstream, where it is eventually eliminated. Nearly all body organs, regions, and systems have lymphatic channels to collect the various byproducts that require elimination . Liver and intestinal lymphatics produce about 80% of the volume of lymph in the body. Notable territories of the body that do not appear to contain lymphatics include the bone marrow, epidermis, as well as other tissues where blood vessels are absent. The central nervous system was long considered to be absent of lymphatic vessels until they were recently identified in the cranial meninges. Moreover, a vessel appearing to have lymphatic features was also discovered in the eye. The lymphatic system is critical in a clinical context, particularly given that it is a major route for cancer metastasis and that the inflammation of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes is an indicator of pathology.  Structure The lymphatic system includes numerous structural components, including lymphatic capillaries, afferent lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, efferent lymphatic vessels, and various lymphoid organs.  Lymphatic capillaries are tiny, thin-walled vessels that originate blindly within the extracellular space of various tissues. Lymphatic capillaries tend to be larger in diameter than blood capillaries and are interspersed among them to enhance their ability to collect interstitial fluid efficiently. They are critical in the drainage of extracellular fluid and allow this fluid to enter the closed capillaries but not exit due to their unique morphology. Lymphatic capillaries at their blind ends are composed of a thin endothelium without a basement membrane. The endothelial cells at the closed end of the capillary overlap but shift to open the capillary end when interstitial fluid pressure is greater than intra-capillary pressure. This process permits lymphocytes, interstitial fluid, bacteria, cellular debris, plasma proteins, and other cells to enter the lymphatic capillaries. Special lymphatic capillaries called lacteals exist in the small intestine to contribute to the absorption of dietary fats. Lymphatics in the liver contribute to a specialized role in transporting hepatic proteins into the bloodstream. The lymphatic capillaries of the body form large networks of channels called lymphatic plexuses and converge to form larger lymphatic vessels. Lymphatic vessels convey lymph, or lymphatic fluid, through their channels. Afferent (toward) lymphatic vessels convey unfiltered lymphatic fluid from the body tissues to the lymph nodes, and efferent (away) lymphatic vessels convey filtered lymphatic fluid from lymph nodes to subsequent lymph nodes or into the venous system. The various efferent lymphatic vessels in the body eventually converge to form two major lymphatic channels: the right lymphatic duct and the thoracic duct.  The right lymphatic duct drains most of the right upper quadrant of the body, including the right upper trunk, right upper extremity, and right head and neck. The right lymphatic trunk is a visible channel in the right cervical region just anterior to the anterior scalene muscle. Its origin and termination are variable in morphology, typically forming as the convergence of the right bronchomediastinal, jugular, and subclavian trunks, extending 1 to 2 centimeters in length before returning its contents to the systemic circulation at the junction of the right internal jugular, subclavian, and/or brachiocephalic veins.  The thoracic duct, also known as the left lymphatic duct or van Hoorne's canal, is the largest of the body's lymphatic channels. It drains most of the body except for the territory of the right superior thorax, head, neck, and upper extremity served by the right lymphatic duct. The thoracic duct is a thin-walled tubular vessel measuring 2 to 6 mm in diameter. The length of the duct ranges from 36 to 45 cm. The thoracic duct is highly variable in form but typically arises in the abdomen at the superior aspect of the cisterna chyli, around the level of the twelfth thoracic vertebra (T12). The cisterna chyli, from which it extends, is an expanded lymphatic sac that forms at the convergence of the intestinal and lumbar lymphatic trunks extending along the L1-L2 vertebral levels. The cisterna chyli is present in approximately 40-60% of the population, and in its absence, the intestinal and lumbar lymphatic trunks communicate directly with the thoracic duct at the T12 level. As a result, the thoracic duct receives lymphatic fluid from the lumbar lymphatic trunks and chyle, composed of lymphatic fluid and emulsified fats, from the intestinal lymphatic trunk. Initially, the thoracic duct is located just to the right of the midline and posterior to the aorta. It exits the abdomen and enters the thorax via the aortic hiatus formed by the right and left crura of the diaphragm, side by side with the aorta. The thoracic duct then ascends in the thoracic cavity just anterior and to the right of the vertebral column between the aorta and azygos vein. At about the level of the fifth thoracic vertebra (T5), the thoracic duct typically crosses to the left of the vertebral column and posterior to the esophagus. From here, it ascends vertically and usually empties its contents into the junction of the left subclavian and left internal jugular veins in the cervical region. To ensure that lymph does not flow backward, collecting lymphatic vessels and larger lymphatic vessels have one-way valves. These valves are not present in the lymphatic capillaries. These lymphatic valves permit the continued advancement of lymph through the lymphatic vessels aided by a pressure gradient created by vascular smooth muscle, skeletal muscle contraction, and respiratory movements. However, it is important to note that lymphatic vessels also communicate with the venous system through various anastomoses. Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped tissues situated along lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes receive lymphatic fluid from afferent lymphatic vessels and convey lymph away through efferent lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes serve as a filter and function to monitor lymphatic fluid/blood composition, drain excess tissue fluid and leaked plasma proteins, engulf pathogens, augment an immune response, and eradicate infection. Several organs in the body are considered to be lymphoid or lymphatic organs, given their role in the production of lymphocytes. These include the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, tonsils, lymph nodes, and other tissues. Lymphoid organs can be categorized as primary or secondary lymphoid organs. Primary lymphoid organs are those that produce lymphocytes, such as the bone marrow and thymus. Bone marrow is the primary site for the production of lymphocytes. The thymus is a glandular organ located anterior to the pericardium. It serves to mature and develop T cells, or thymus cell lymphocytes, in response to an inflammatory process or pathology. As individuals age, both their bone marrow and thymus reduce and accumulate fat. Secondary lymphoid organs serve as territories in which immune cells function and include the spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes, and various mucous membranes, such as in the intestines. The spleen is a purplish, fist-sized organ in the left upper abdominal quadrant that contributes to immune function by serving as a blood filter, storing lymphocytes within its white pulp, and being a site for an adaptive immune response to antigens. The lingual tonsils, palatine tonsils, and pharyngeal tonsils, or adenoids, work to prevent pathogens from entering the body. Mucous membranes in the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and genitourinary systems also function to prevent pathogens from entering the body. Lymph Lymphatic fluid, or lymph, is similar to blood plasma and tends to be watery, transparent, and yellowish in appearance. Extracellular fluid leaks out of the blood capillary walls because of pressure exerted by the heart or osmotic pressure at the cellular level. As the interstitial fluid accumulates, it is picked up by the tiny lymphatic capillaries along with other substances to form lymph. This fluid then passes through the lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes and finally enters the venous circulation. As the lymph passes through the lymph nodes, both monocytes and lymphocytes enter it.  Lymph is composed primarily of interstitial fluid with variable amounts of lymphocytes, bacteria, cellular debris, plasma proteins, and other cells. In the GI tract, lymphatic fluid is called chyle and has a milk-like appearance that is chiefly due to the presence of cholesterol, glycerol, fatty acids, and other fat products. The vessels that transport the lymphatic fluid from the GI tract are known as lacteals. Embryology The development of the lymphatic system is known from both human and animal, especially mouse studies. The lymphatic vessels form after the development of blood vessels, around six weeks post-fertilization. The endothelial cells that serve as precursors to the lymphatics arise from the embryonic cardinal veins. The process by which lymphatic vessels form is similar to that of the blood vessels and produces lymphatic-venous and intra-lymphatic anastomoses, but diverse origins exist for components of lymphatic vessel formation in different regions.  Six primary lymph sacs develop and are apparent about eight weeks post-fertilization. These include, from caudal to cranial, one cisterna chyli, one retroperitoneal lymph sac, two iliac lymph sacs, and two jugular lymph sacs. The jugular lymph sacs are the first to develop, initially appearing next to the jugular part of the cardinal vein. Lymphatic vessels then form adjacent to the blood vessels and connect the various lymph sacs. The lymphatic vessels primarily arise from the lymph sacs through the process of self-proliferation and polarized sprouting.  Stem/progenitor cells play a huge role in forming lymphatic tissues and vessels by contributing to sustained growth and postnatally differentiating into lymphatic endothelial cells. Lymphatic channels from the developing gut connect with the retroperitoneal lymph sac and the cisterna chyli, situated just posteriorly. The lymphatic channels of the lower extremities and inferior trunk communicate with the iliac lymph sacs. Finally, lymphatic channels in the head, neck and upper extremities drain to the jugular lymph sacs. Additionally, a right and left thoracic duct form and connect the cisterna chyli with the jugular lymph sacs and form anastomoses that eventually produce the typical adult form. The lymph sacs then produce groups of lymph nodes in the fetal period. Migrating mesenchyme enters the lymph sacs and produces lymphatic networks, connective tissue, and other layers of the lymph nodes. Function The lymphatic system's primary function is to balance the volume of interstitial fluid and convey it and excess protein molecules into the venous circulation. The lymphatic system is also important in immune surveillance, defending the body against foreign particles and microorganisms. It does so by conveying antigens and leukocytes to lymph nodes, where antigen-primed and targeted lymphocytes and other immune cells are conveyed into the lymphatic vessels and blood vessels. In addition, the system has a role in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and fatty substances in the gut via the gastrointestinal tract's lacteals within the villi and the transport of this material into the venous circulation.  Newly recognized lymphatic vessels are visible in the meninges relating to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow from the central nervous system. Finally, lymphatics may play a role in the clearance of ocular fluid via the lymphatic-like Schlemm canals. Clinical Significance Leaks of lymphatic fluid occur when the lymphatic vessels are damaged. In the abdomen, lymphatic vessel damage may occur during surgery, especially during retroperitoneal procedures such as repairing an abdominal aortic aneurysm. These leaks tend to be mild, and the vessels in the peritoneum and mesentery eventually absorb the lymphatic fluid or chyle. However, when the thoracic duct is injured in the chest, the chyle leak can be extensive. In most cases, conservative care with a no-fat diet (medium chain triglycerides) or total parenteral nutrition is unsuccessful. In most cases, if the injury to the thoracic duct was surgical, a surgical procedure is required to tie off the duct. If the thoracic duct is injured in the cervical region, then inserting a drainage tube and adopting a low-fat diet will help seal the leak. However, thoracic duct injury in the chest cavity usually requires drainage and surgery. It is rare for the thoracic segment of the thoracic duct to seal on its own. In terms of accumulation of chyle in the thorax (i.e., chylothorax), if a patient has an injury to the thoracic duct in the thorax below the T5 vertebral level, then fluid will collect in only the right pleural cavity. If the injury is to the thoracic duct in the thorax above the T5 vertebral level, then fluid will appear in both pleural cavities.   Other Issues The lymphatic system is prone to disorders like the venous and arterial circulatory systems. Developmental or functional defects of the lymphatic system cause lymphedema. When this occurs, the lymphatic system is unable to sufficiently drain lymphatic fluid resulting in its accumulation and swelling of the territory. Lymphedema, this swelling due to the accumulation of lymph, is classified as primary or secondary. Primary lymphedema is an inherited disorder where the lymphatic system development has been disrupted, causing absent or malformed lymphatic tissues. This condition often presents soon after birth, but some conditions may present later in life (e.g., at puberty or later adulthood). There are no effective treatments for primary lymphedema. Past surgical treatments were found to be mutilating and are no longer implemented. The present-day treatment revolves around compression stockings, pumps, and constrictive garments. Secondary lymphedema is an acquired disorder involving lymphatic system dysfunction that may result from many causes, including cancer, infection, trauma, or surgery. The treatment of secondary lymphedema depends on the cause. Oncological and other surgeries may result in secondary lymphedema due to the removal or biopsy of lymph nodes or lymphatic vessels. Non-surgical lymphedema may result from malignancies, obstruction within the lymphatic system, infection, or deep vein thrombosis. In most cases of obstructive secondary lymphedema, the drainage will resume if the inciting cause is removed, although some individuals may need to wear compressive stockings permanently. Also, physical therapy may help alleviate lymphedema when the extremities are involved. There is no absolute cure for lymphedema, but diagnosis and careful management can help to minimize complications. Lymphomas are cancers that arise from the cells of the lymphatic system. There are numerous types of lymphoma, but they are grouped into Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Lymphomas usually arise from the malignant transformation of specific lymphocytes in the lymphatic vessels or lymph nodes in the gastrointestinal tract, neck, axilla, or groin. Symptoms of lymphoma may include night sweats, fever, fatigue, itching, and weight loss. Cancers originating outside of the lymphatic system often spread via the lymphatic vessels and may involve regional lymph nodes serving the impacted organs or tissues. Lymphadenitis occurs when the lymph nodes become inflamed or enlarged. The cause is usually an adjacent bacterial infection but may also involve viruses or fungi. The lymph nodes usually enlarge and become tender. Lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, is a very common mosquito-borne disorder caused by a parasite found in tropical and subtropical areas of the world, including Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and South America. This condition involves parasitic microscopic nematodes (roundworms) that infect the lymphatic system and rapidly multiply and disrupt lymphatic function. Many infected individuals may have no outward symptoms, although the kidneys and lymphatic tissues may be damaged and dysfunctional. Symptomatic individuals may present with disfigurement caused by significant lymphedema and elephantiasis (thickening of the skin, particularly the extremities). The parasite may also cause hydrocele, an enlargement of the scrotum due to the accumulation of fluid, which may result from obstruction of the lymph nodes or vessels in the groin. Individuals presenting with symptoms have poorly draining lymphatics, often involving the extremities, resulting in huge extremities and marked disability. Lymphatic filariasis is the most common cause of disfigurement in the world, and it is the second most common cause of long-term disability.  (credits: NIH)

In this Review Series episode, Blood Associate Editor, Dr. Elisabeth Battinelli discusses the Platelet Heterogeneity with authors Drs. Craig Morrell, Larry Frelinger, and Leo Nicolai.  Find the full review series in volume 146 issue 24 of Blood. 

We grant our third Christmas Wish to Tiffany, whose husband Derrick has been dealing with heart issues for years and has recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Thanks to Treasure Island Resort & Casino and Holiday Station Stores. DONATE to Christmas Wish: www.kdwb.com/wish.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We grant our third Christmas Wish to Tiffany, whose husband Derrick has been dealing with heart issues for years and has recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Thanks to Treasure Island Resort & Casino and Holiday Station Stores. DONATE to Christmas Wish: www.kdwb.com/wish.

To have Dr. Morse answer a question, visit: https://drmorses.tv/ask/   00:00:00 - Intro - Vaccination Study https://handcraftedbotanicalformulas.com/study-henry-ford-health-system/ 00:06:58 - Panic Attacks - Anxiety - Fear of Death  00:39:00 - Seizure 00:48:10 - Thyroid Nodules 00:56:15 - Type 2 Lymphoma 01:19:49 - Tremors - Head Pressure - Mental Health Problems - Insomnia - Depression 01:46:34 - Chronic Fatigue - Update with Eyes 00:06:58 - Panic Attacks - Anxiety - Fear of Death  I have been born with aneurysm of the interatrial septum. 00:39:00 - Seizure Do I wean off this medication? 00:48:10 - Thyroid Nodules I got scared and did a biopsy. 00:56:15 - Type 2 Lymphoma Tumor on his spine that has 'spread' into the inner spine. He's in severe pain. 01:19:49 - Tremors - Head Pressure - Mental Health Problems - Insomnia - Depression No one can understand what is happening, my brain is literally burning. 01:46:34 - Chronic Fatigue - Update with Eyes Despite a lot of change, still suffering from chronic fatigue.

Dr. Monty Pal and Dr. Jason Westin discuss the federal funding climate for cancer research and the persistent problem of drug shortages, two of the major concerns facing the oncology community in 2026. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Monty Pal: Hello and welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I am your host, Dr. Monty Pal. I am a medical oncologist and vice chair of academic affairs at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles. There are always multiple challenges facing oncologists, and today, we discuss two of them that really stand out for 2026: threats to federal funding for cancer research and the persistent problem of drug shortages. I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Jason Westin, who believes that one way to meet these challenges is to get oncologists more involved in advocacy, and he will share some strategies to help us meet this moment in oncology. Dr. Westin is a professor in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, but he actually wears a lot of hats within ASCO. He is a member of the Board of Directors and has also previously served as chair of ASCO's Government Relations Committee. And he is also one of the inaugural members of ASCO's Political Action Committee, or PAC. He has testified before Congress about drug shortages and many other issues. Dr. Westin, I am really excited to have you on the podcast today and dive into some of these elements that will really impact our community in 2026. Thanks so much for joining us today. Dr. Jason Westin: Thank you for having me. Dr. Monty Pal: You've had such a range of experience. I already alluded to you testifying before Congress. You've actually run for office before. You wear so many different hats. I'm used to checking my PubMed every other day and seeing a new paper out from you and your group, and you publish in the New England Journal [of Medicine] on practice-setting standards and the diseases that you treat. But you've also done all this work in the domain of advocacy. I can't imagine that balancing that is easy. What has sort of motivated you on the advocacy front? Dr. Jason Westin: Advocacy to me is another way to apply our skills and help more people than just those that you're sitting across from at the time. Clinical research, of course, is a tool to try and take what we know and apply it more broadly to people that you'll never meet. And advocacy, I think, can do the same thing, where you can have a conversation with a lawmaker, you can advocate for a position, and that hopefully will help thousands or maybe even more people down the road who you'd never get to directly interact with. And so, I think it's a force multiplier in the same way that research can be. And so, I think advocacy is a wonderful part of how doctors care for our patients. And it's something that is often difficult to know where to start, but once people get into advocacy, they can see that the power, the rewarding nature of it is attractive, and most people, once they get going, continue with that through the rest of their career. Dr. Monty Pal: So, I'll ask you to expand on that a little bit. We have a lot of our younger ASCO members listening to this podcast, folks that are just starting out their careers in clinical practice or academia. Where does that journey begin? How do you get to the point that you're testifying in front of Congress and taking on these bigger sort of stances for the oncology community? Dr. Jason Westin: Yeah, with anything in medicine and in our careers, you have to start somewhere. And often you start with baby steps before you get in front of a panel of senators or other high-profile engagement opportunities. But often the first setting for junior colleagues to be engaged is doing things – we call them "Hill Days" – but basically being involved in kind of low-stakes meetings where you're with a group of peers, some of whom have done this multiple times before, and can get engaged talking to members of representatives' offices, and doing so in a way where it's a natural conversation that you're telling a story about a patient in your clinic, or that you're telling a personal experience from a policy that impacted your ability to deliver optimal care. It sounds stressful, but once you're doing it, it's not stressful. It's actually kind of fun. And it's a way that you can get comfort and skill with a group of peers who are there and able to help you. And ASCO has a number of ways to do that, both at the federal level, there's the Hill Day where we each April have several hundred ASCO members travel to Capitol Hill. There's also state engagement that can be done, so-called visiting at home, when representatives from the U.S. Congress or from state legislators are back in district. You can meet with your own representatives on behalf of yourself, on behalf of your organization, and advocate for policies in a way that can be beneficial to your patients. But those initial meetings that are in the office often they're low stakes because you could be meeting not with the representative but with their staff. And that staff sometimes is as young or even younger than our junior colleagues. These sometimes can be people in their 20s, but they're often extremely knowledgeable, extremely approachable, and are used to dealing with people who are new to advocacy. But they actually help make decisions within the office. So it's not a waste of time. It's actually a super useful way to engage. So, it's that first step of anything in life. The activation energy is always high to do something new. But I'd encourage people who are listening to this podcast already having some level of interest about it to explore ways that they could engage more. Dr. Monty Pal: You know, I have to tell you, I'm going to riff on what you just said for a second. ASCO couldn't make it any easier, I think, for folks to participate and get involved. So, if you're listening to this and scratching your head and thinking, "Well, where do I begin? How do I actually sign on for that meeting with a local representative?" Go to the ASCO ACT Network website. And I'll actually talk to our producer, Geraldine, to make sure we've got a link to that somewhere associated with this podcast after it's published, Jason, but I actually keep that on my browser and it's super easy. I check in there every now and then and see if there's any new policy or legislation that ASCO, you know, is sort of taking a stance on, and it gives me some fodder for conversation with my local representatives too. I mean, it's just an awesome, awesome vehicle. I'm going to segue right from there right to the issues. So, you and I are both at academic centers. You know, I think this is something that really pervades academia and enters into implications for general clinical practice. There's been this, you know, massive sort of proposal for decreased funding to the NCI and to the NIH and so forth. Tell us what ASCO is doing in that regard, and tell us perhaps how our community can help. Dr. Jason Westin: We live in interesting times, and I think that may be an understatement x 100. But obviously investments in research are things that when you're at an academic center, you see and feel that as part of your daily life. Members of Congress need to be reminded of that because there's a lot of other competing interests out there besides investing in the future through research. And being an elected representative is a hard job. That is something where you have to make difficult choices to support this, and that may mean not supporting that. And there's lots of good things where our tax dollars could be spent. And so, I'm sympathetic to the idea that there's not unlimited resources. However, ASCO has done an excellent job, and ASCO members have led the charge on this, of stating what research does, what is the benefit of research, and therefore why should this matter to elected representatives, to their staff, and to those people that they're elected to serve. And ASCO has led with a targeted campaign to basically have that message be conveyed at every opportunity to elected representatives. And each year on Hill Day, one of the asks that we have is to continue to support research: the NCI, NIH, ARPA-H, these are things that are always in the asks to make sure that there's appropriate funding. But effectively playing offense by saying, "It's not just a number on a sheet of paper, this is what it means to patients. This is what it means to potentially your loved ones in the future if you are in the opposite situation where you're not on the legislative side, but you're in the office receiving a diagnosis or receiving a difficult piece of news." We only have the tools we have now because of research, and each breakthrough has been years in the making and countless hours spent funded through the engine of innovation: clinical research and translational research. And so ASCO continues to beat that drum. You mentioned earlier the ACT Network. Just to bring that back again is a very useful, very easy tool to communicate to your elected representatives. When you sign up on the ASCO ACT website, you get emails periodically, not too much, but periodically get emails of, "This is a way you can engage with your lawmakers to speak up for this." And as you said, Monty, they make it as easy as possible. You click the button, you type in your address so that it figures out who your elected representatives are, and then it will send a letter on your behalf after like five clicks to say, "I want you to support research. I want you to vote for this particular thing which is of interest to ASCO and by definition to members of ASCO." And so the ACT Network is a way that people listening can engage without having to spend hours and significant time, but just a few clicks can send that letter to a representative in Congress. And the question could be: does that matter? Does contacting your senator or your elected representative do anything? If all they're hearing is somebody else making a different argument and they're hearing over and over again from people that want investments in AI or investments in something else besides cancer research, whatever it is, they may think that there's a ground shift that people want dollars to be spent over here as opposed to at the NIH or NCI or in federally funded research. It is important to continue to express the need for federal funding for our research. And so, it really is important for folks to engage. Dr. Monty Pal: 100%. One of the things that I think is not often obvious to a lot of our listeners is where the support for clinical trials comes from. You know, you've obviously run the whole gamut of studies as have I. You know, we have our pharmaceutical company-sponsored studies, which are in a particular bucket. But I would say that there's a very important and critical subset of studies that are actually government funded, right? NCI-funded clinical trials. If you don't mind, just explain to our audience the critical nature of the work that's being done in those types of studies and if you can, maybe compare and contrast the studies that are done in that bucket versus perhaps the pharmaceutical bucket. Dr. Jason Westin: Both are critical, and we're privileged that we have pharma studies that are sponsored and federally funded clinical research. And I think that part of a healthy ecosystem for us to develop new breakthroughs has a need for both. The pharma sponsored studies are done through the lens of trying to get an approval for an agent that's of interest so that the pharma company can then turn around and use that outside of a clinical trial after an FDA approval. And so those studies are often done through the lens of getting over the finish line by showing some superiority over an existing treatment or in a new patient population. But they're done through that lens of kind of the broadest population and sometimes relatively narrow endpoints, but to get the approval so that then the drug can be widely utilized. Clinical trials done through cooperative groups are sometimes done to try and optimize that or to try and look at comparative things that may not be as attractive to pharma studies, not necessarily going for that initial approval, but the fine tuning or the looking at health outcomes or looking at ensuring that we do studies in representative populations that may not be as well identified on the pharma sponsored trials, but basically filling out the gaps in the knowledge that we didn't gain from the initial phase 3 trial that led to the approval. And so both are critical. But if we only do pharma sponsored trials, if we don't fund federally supported research and that dries up, the fear I have, and many others have, is that we're going to be lacking a lot of knowledge about the best ways to use these great new therapies, these new immune therapies, or in my team, we do a lot of clinical trials on CAR T-cell therapies. If we don't have federally funded research to do the important clinical studies, we'll be in the dark about the best ways to use these drugs, and that's going to be a terrible shame. And so we really do need to continue to support federal research. Dr. Monty Pal: Yeah, there are no softball questions on this podcast, but I think everybody would be hard pressed to think that you and I would come on here and say, "Well, no, we don't need as much money for clinical trials and NCI funding" and so forth. But I think a really challenging issue to tackle, and this is something we thought to ask you ahead of the podcast, is what to do about the general climate of, you know, whether it's academic research or clinical practice here that seems to be getting some of our colleagues thinking about moving elsewhere. I've actually talked to a couple of folks who are picking up and moving to Europe for a variety of considerations, other continents, frankly. The U.S. has always been a leader when it comes to oncology research and, one might argue, research in general. Some have the mindset these days that we're losing that footing a little bit. What's your perspective? Are you concerned about some of the trends that you're seeing? What does your crystal ball tell you? Dr. Jason Westin: I am highly concerned about this. I think as you said, the U.S. has been a leader for a long time, but it wasn't always. This is not something that's preordained that the world-leading clinical research and translational research will always be done in the United States. That is something that has been developed as an ecosystem, as an engine for innovation and for job development, new technology development, since World War II. That's something that through intentional investments in research was developed that the best and brightest around the world, if they could choose to go anywhere, you wanted them to come to work at universities and academic places within the United States. And I think, as you said, that's at risk if you begin to dry up the investment in research or if you begin to have less focus on being engaged in research in a way that is forward thinking, not just kind of maintaining what we do now or only looking at having private, for profit sponsored research. But if you don't have the investment in the basic science research and the translational research and the forward-thinking part of it, the fear is that we lose the advantage and that other countries will say, "Thank you very much," and be happy to invest in ways to their advantage. And I think as you mentioned, there are people that are beginning to look elsewhere. I don't think that it's likely that a significant population of researchers in the U.S. who are established and have careers and families – I don't think that we're going to see a mass exodus of folks. I think the real risk to me is that the younger, up-and-coming people in undergraduate or in graduate school or in medical school and are the future superstars, that they could either choose to go into a different field, so they decide not to go into what could be the latest breakthroughs for cancer patients but could be doing something in AI or something in a different field that could be attractive to them because of less uncertainty about funding streams, or they could take that job offer if it's in a different country. And I think that's the concern is it may not be a 2026 problem, but it could be a 2036 or a 2046 problem that we reap what we sow if we don't invest in the future. Dr. Monty Pal: Indeed, indeed. You know, I've had the pleasure of reviewing abstracts for some of our big international meetings, as I'm sure you've done in the past too. I see this trend where, as before, we would see the preponderance of large phase 3 clinical trials and practice setting studies being done here in the U.S., I'm seeing this emergence of China, of other countries outside of the U.S. really taking lead on these things. And it certainly concerns me. If I had to sort of gauge this particular issue, it's at the top of my list in terms of what I'm concerned about. But I also wanted to ask you, Jason, in terms of the issues that are looming over oncology from an advocacy perspective, what else really sort of keeps you up at night? Dr. Jason Westin: I'm quite concerned about the drug shortages. I think that's something that is a surprisingly evergreen problem. This is something that is on its face illogical that we're talking about the greatest engine for research in the world being the United States and the investment that we've made in drug development and the breakthroughs that have happened for patients all around the world, many of them happen in the United States, and yet we don't necessarily have access to drugs from the 1970s or 1980s that are cheap, generic, sterile, injectable drugs. This is the cisplatins and the vincristines and the fludarabine type medications which are not the sexy ones that you see the ads in the magazine or on TV at night. These are the backbone drugs for many of our curative intent regimens for pediatrics and for heme malignancies and many solid tumors. And the fact that that's continuing to be an issue is, in my opinion, a failure to address the root causes, and those are going to require legislative solutions. The root causes here are basically a race to the bottom where the economics to invest in quality manufacturing really haven't been prioritized. And so it's a race to the cheapest price, which often means you undercut your competitor, and when you don't have the money to invest in good manufacturing processes, the factory breaks down, there's no alternative, you go into shortage. And this has been going on for a couple of decades, and I don't think there's an end in sight until we get a serious solution proposed by our elected officials. That is something that bothers me in the ways where we know what we should be doing for our patients, but if we don't have the drugs, we're left to be creative in ways we shouldn't have to do to figure out a plan B when we've got curative intent therapies. And I think that's a real shame.  There's obviously a lot of other things that are concerning related to oncology, but something that I have personally had experience with when I wanted to give a patient a CAR T-cell, and we don't have a supply of fludarabine, which is a trivial drug from decades ago in terms of the technology investments in genetically modified T-cells, to not then have access to a drug that should be pennies on the dollar and available at any time you want it is almost like the Air Force investing in building the latest stealth bomber, but then forgetting to get the jet fuel in a way that they can't use it because they don't have the tools that they need. And so I think that's something that we do need to have comprehensive solutions from our elected officials. Dr. Monty Pal: Brilliantly stated. I like that analogy a lot. Let's get into the weeds for a second. What would that proposal to Congress look like? What are we trying to put in front of them to help alleviate the drug shortages? Dr. Jason Westin: We could spend a couple hours, and I know podcasts usually are not set up to do that. And so I won't go through every part. I will direct you that there have been a couple of recent publications from ASCO specifically detailing solutions, and there was a recent white paper from the Senate Finance Committee that went through some legislative solutions being explored. So Dr. Gralow, ASCO CMO, and I recently had a publication in JCO OP detailing some solutions, more in that white paper from the Senate Finance. And then there's a working group actually going through ASCO's Health Policy Committee putting together a more detailed proposal that will be published probably around the end of 2026. Very briefly, what needs to happen is for government contracts for purchasing these drugs, there needs to be an outlay for quality, meaning that if you have a manufacturing facility that is able to deliver product on time, reliably, you get a bonus in terms of your contract. And that changes the model to prioritize the quality component of manufacturing. Without that, there's no reason to invest in maintaining your machine or upgrading the technology you have in your manufacturing plant. And so you have bottlenecks emerge because these drugs are cheap, and there's not a profit margin. So you get one factory that makes this key drug, and if that factory hasn't had an upgrade in their machines in 20 years, and that machine conks out and it takes 6 months to repair or replacement, that is an opportunity for that drug to go into shortage and causes a mad dash for big hospitals to purchase the drug that's available, leaving disparities to get amplified. It's a nightmare when those things happen, and they happen all the time. There are usually dozens, if not hundreds, of drugs in shortage at any given time. And this has been going on for decades. This is something that we do need large, system-wide fixes and that investment in quality, I think, will be a key part. Dr. Monty Pal: Yeah, brilliantly said. And I'll make sure that we actually include those articles on the tagline for this podcast as well. I'll talk to our producer about that as well.  I'm really glad you mentioned the time in your last comment there because I felt like we just started, but in fact, I think we're right at our close here, Jason, unfortunately. So, I could have gone on for a couple more hours with you. I really want to thank you for these absolutely terrific insights and thank you for all your advocacy on behalf of ASCO and oncologists at large. Dr. Jason Westin: Thank you so much for having me. I have enjoyed it. Dr. Monty Pal: Thanks a lot. And many thanks to our listeners too. You can find more information about ASCO's advocacy agenda and activities at asco.org. Finally, if you value the insights that you heard today on the ASCO Daily News Podcast, please rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks so much. ASCO Advocacy Resources: Get involved in ASCO's Advocacy efforts: ASCO Advocacy Toolkit Crisis of Cancer Drug Shortages: Understanding the Causes and Proposing Sustainable Solutions, JCO Oncology Practice 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. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Find out more about today's speakers:     Dr. Monty Pal   @montypal   Dr. Jason Westin @DrJasonWestin   Follow ASCO on social media:      @ASCO on X     ASCO on Bluesky    ASCO on Facebook      ASCO on LinkedIn      Disclosures:     Dr. Monty Pal:    Speakers' Bureau: MJH Life Sciences, IntrisiQ, Peerview   Research Funding (Inst.): Exelixis, Merck, Osel, Genentech, Crispr Therapeutics, Adicet Bio, ArsenalBio, Xencor, Miyarsian Pharmaceutical   Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Crispr Therapeutics, Ipsen, Exelixis   Dr. Jason Westin: Consulting or Advisory Role: Novartis, Kite/Gilead, Janssen Scientific Affairs, ADC Therapeutics, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene/Juno, AstraZeneca, Genentech/Roche, Abbvie, MorphoSys/Incyte, Seattle Genetics, Abbvie, Chugai Pharma, Regeneron, Nurix, Genmab, Allogene Therapeutics, Lyell Immunopharma Research Funding: Janssen, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, MorphoSys/Incyte, Genentech/Roche, Allogene Therapeutics

In today's episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Rutherford, MD, about the evolving role of minimal residual disease (MRD) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing for lymphoma treatment decision-making. Dr Rutherford is an associate professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, New York.  In our exclusive interview, Dr Rutherford discussed the usefulness of ctDNA for guiding patient treatment, clinical trials that are ongoing to determine the best use of this type of assay, how personalized ctDNA testing offers the potential for disease surveillance and effective intervention, key hurdles in the way of widespread implementation of ctDNA testing in clinical practice, and how integration with next-generation sequencing is expected to further tailor treatment strategies.

On this episode of Bringin' It Backwards, host Adam Lisicky reconnects with Caroline Grace Vein (Blondestandard) for an honest, inspiring conversation about resilience, creativity, and the journey of an artist. Nearly three years after her breakthrough debut "Blue Eyes," Caroline opens up about navigating health challenges—including a diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma just after graduating college—and how they shaped her music and perspective. She shares how those experiences led to a deeper, more authentic songwriting process, the evolution of her sound from bubblegum pop to alternative rock, and the impact of community and collaboration in her work. Caroline dives into the stories behind new singles like "California Dreams," "Freaking Out," "Ruin My Day," and her latest release, "Arms of Another," offering insight into the themes of vulnerability, strength, and connection that drive her artistry. Plus, Caroline reveals she's working on a new podcast to share her story even further, and gives advice to fellow aspiring musicians: stay true to yourself, focus on what you love, and let your art resonate authentically. Whether you're an indie musician, a fan of genuine artist stories, or looking for inspiration to overcome obstacles and pursue your passion, this episode is full of raw, empowering moments you won't want to miss. Listen to the full interview and be sure to subscribe to Bringin' It Backwards for more stories from legendary and rising artists!