Letter from the President
Kelly Shanahan, M.D.
Time really does move faster as we get older – or have a MBC diagnosis. It’s crazy to think that summer is almost over, and that fall, my favorite season, is rapidly approaching. My summer was a bust, mainly because of a busted foot – see the foot-breaker, aka 8 month old Albus Dumbledore, below. Good thing he’s cute!
The other reason is that the clinical trial drug I was on, which initially looked so promising, failed me. Although, that may not be 100% accurate: the spots that showed initial response were still responding, but my highly ER/PR+ MBC has decided to mutate to low ER/PR-, HER2 low, and move to my liver. After discussion with my “village of oncologists”, I have started immunotherapy (high tumor mutational burden on liquid biopsy) and oral chemo with capecitabine (Xeloda). So far, it seems like it’s working, based on resolution of numbness in an area where I had a new met, but we’ll see as scans are scheduled for the end of August.
It is so important when we have a mixed response to treatment that we get biopsies of the new spots if at all possible, and liquid biopsies, blood tests to look for mutations, are always indicated when there is progression. We have developed a biomarker education program that I’ve very excited about; in addition to info on our website and social media, that will be up soon, we will have a panel on biomarkers at the Stage IV Stampede and Summit on October 5, prior to the Hill Day on October 6. You can learn more and register for the Stampede here. We’re also putting together a webinar on what to do if you have more than one biomarker that will run later this fall.
I’m also excited to announce that we are partnering with our friends at the Live from Stage 4 podcast. I love the interviews with the leading oncologists and researchers, the panels where people living with MBC talk about breakthroughs and controversaries, and the segments highlighting side effects and what to do about them. Look for some segments featuring METAvivor funded researchers and METAvivor programs like peer-to-peer support or our new R.I.S.E (Reach. Inform. Support. Empower) initiative in the future.
Finally, those of you that signed up to be patient advocate reviewers will get your assigned applications any day now. Your thoughtful input is vital to our grant process, and I thank you for your help. If you’d like to review letters or intent or applications next year, please sign up here.
METAvivor exists for and because of you. If you’d like to volunteer, want to do a fundraiser, or have an idea you’d like to see us explore, we’d love to work with you! And save the date for Light Up MBC on October 13 – Tami Bowling and her amazing team are hard at work, and this is our biggest fundraiser of the year!
-Kelly