MARISA C. WEISS: Hiya. I am Dr. Marisa Weiss, Chief Medical Officer of breastcancer.org reporting right here from ASCO 2023 with WebMD. There was an vital research that checked out screening charges, and you may solely think about that originally of 2020, with a pandemic, that screening charges plummeted as a result of mammogram departments have been closed and other people have been scared to go to hospitals, however that issues began to get higher on the finish of 2020.

Nonetheless, we have now discovered that net-net right here at present, we’re in 2023, and this specific research reported out by means of 2022 the place the screening charges are sagging. Like, we’re down for breast most cancers screening by, I do not know, most likely at the very least 10%. And I see it clinically as a health care provider taking good care of girls with breast most cancers, extra persons are exhibiting up with late levels of illness. They missed their mammogram for a 12 months or two earlier than the pandemic, they have not gotten their mammogram in the course of the pandemic, and solely now they’re having cancer– like, massive cancers current.

So should you’re listening to this, just be sure you and the folks that you simply care about, the folks you’re employed with, get their mammogram regularly, as a result of mammography — early detection of breast most cancers — can save your life.

MARISA C. WEISS: Hiya. I am Dr. Marisa Weiss, Chief Medical Officer of breastcancer.org, reporting to you from ASCO 2023 with WebMD. I am reporting on a research that we, breastcancer.org, carried out by means of a survey. We had over 1,400 folks take part, and we have been wanting on the affect of racial and ethnic background in your job — your employment. And never simply your employment, however the employment of you and your caregivers.

And what we discovered was fairly extraordinary — that 92% of individuals had a change of their employment for — on the time of prognosis, about 62% have been working full-time. That dropped all the way down to 40%. For girls with metastatic breast most cancers, that went from 56% all the way down to 25% have been working full time, simply because the calls for of care actually tousled their work scenario.

For folks with non-metastatic breast most cancers, full-time charge went from 63% all the way down to 42% after remedy, and most of the people attributed that employment change to breast most cancers and its calls for. This was significantly true for ladies who have been Hispanic, as a result of they have been extra prone to have — be youthful at prognosis, have youthful youngsters at dwelling, have later levels of illness, and have jobs that have been rigid in order that they needed to take unpaid go away. They have been more likely to need to take unpaid go away.

MARISA WEISS: Hiya, I am Dr. Marisa Weiss, Chief Medical Officer of breastcancer.org, reporting to you at present from ASCO 2023 with WebMD. At breastcancer.org, along with Memorial Sloan Kettering Most cancers Heart, we carried out a survey to actually learn the way laborious it’s, the hoops it’s important to soar by means of as a way to get short-term and long-term incapacity, in addition to to struggle again on insurance coverage denials of your care. We had over 1,400 folks take part within the survey. And about 60% have been White, 27% have been Hispanic, and about 8% have been Black.

And most of the people had early stage illness, however 11% had metastatic illness. And what we discovered was that 32% of individuals utilized for short-term incapacity, 26% utilized for long-term incapacity, which was extra frequent in folks with metastatic breast most cancers. And whereas 74% of individuals acquired approval for these incapacity funds, at the very least 25% stated it was actually laborious. That simply filling out these kinds and sending them in and understanding the query and the language obstacles, that it was a tough course of.

And, in fact, it was worse for folks with language obstacles, like Hispanic girls, that fifty% extra work, extra issue. And for ladies with metastatic illness, extra work, extra issue to place these functions in. Additionally, a few third of individuals utilized — submitted an enchantment to their insurance coverage firm as a result of the insurance coverage firm, as an example, denied protection of among the prices.

And typically, folks needed to submit an enchantment two to 5 occasions. And for folks with metastatic illness, over 5 occasions. And so there’s a whole lot of work that goes into making use of for incapacity, in addition to FMLA, in addition to interesting a denial out of your insurance coverage firm.

So should you’re in that scenario, do not — to start with, you are not alone. There are lots of people who’ve skilled this. It is a complete drag, however you may get assist.

MARISA WEISS: Hiya, I am Dr. Marisa Weiss, Chief Medical Officer of Breastcancer.org. Reporting from ASCO 2023 with WebMD. I simply wish to let you recognize a few research out of Columbia College in New York that regarded on the prevalence, that is the speed of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, which suggests like numbness and tingling ache of your palms and your ft. It additionally may imply issue with motor features like buttoning a shirt or opening a jar like peanut butter or no matter it’s you open a jar for.

And what they discovered was that chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy was extra frequent in individuals who have been receiving paclitaxel, additionally referred to as Taxol chemotherapy when in comparison with docetaxel or Taxotere chemotherapy. We type of already knew this, but it surely’s good to see yet one more report that reveals that that for the sufferers who had paclitaxel or Taxol chemotherapy, the charges of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy was type of excessive on this specific research, 50%. Whereas, it was 40% or so for folks with paclitaxel.

In order that’s a big distinction. So should you’re identified with early-stage breast most cancers or extra vital levels of breast most cancers, and your physician tells you that you could have chemotherapy, you wish to ask them what sort of chemotherapy. And allow them to know that you simply’re conscious that Taxol chemotherapy is extra prone to produce the aspect impact chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. And discover out what are you able to do to decrease the incidence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

One factor is the cryo-mitts, like these are chilly mitts that you simply put your palms into in the course of the infusion and afterwards that appears to drop the incidence of CIPN — chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

MARISA C. WEISS: Hiya. I am Dr. Marisa Weiss, Chief Medical Officer of breastcancer.org, right here with you at ASCO 2023 with WebMD. I am reporting on an vital research wanting on the position of CBD — cannabidiol — within the remedy of sufferers with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, individuals who had both peripheral neuropathy from a taxane like Taxol or Taxotere, or from a platinum-based chemotherapy for his or her remedy.

And what we discovered was that once we regarded on the folks within the research — they have been both randomized to obtain 135 milligrams of CBD derived from hemp versus placebo, they usually took the medication for 3 months, and we watched them for an additional month. We discovered that the sufferers who acquired CBD as a substitute of placebo had a decrease incidence of numbness and tingling, however no change within the ache or their motor operate when in comparison with the folks on placebo.

And that is really an vital outcome, as a result of CBD was well-tolerated. It decreased the signs of numbness and tingling, that are a standard, tough negative effects from these commonly-used medicines. And that aspect impact really stands in the way in which of lots of people finishing their chemotherapy, particularly Black girls who’re coping with breast most cancers. They’re extra prone to have chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and cease their remedy early, which can partially clarify why they’ve worse outcomes with a better threat of dying from breast most cancers.

So we actually want to search out methods to assist stop chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. I additionally talked concerning the chilly mitts to decrease the incidence. However then, when you have this situation, what are you able to do to decrease the depth of it and the period of that symptom? And it appears to be like like CBD, cannabidiol– and the product we used was Ananda Hemp Ecofibre. They really supported the research. I simply needed to reveal that to you.

100 thirty-five milligrams a day in comparison with placebo. It is out there on-line, over-the-counter. You do not want a medical marijuana card to get these CBD merchandise from hemp. And it lowered the incidence of numbness and tingling, which is a standard tough aspect impact from chemotherapy, which helps to enhance your high quality of life.