Believe in Progress: an American Association for Cancer Research Foundation Podc

In this episode, we explore a quiet revolution underway in cancer care. Instead of a painful biopsy or months of anxious waiting between scans, a single vial of blood may be able to indicate whether cancer is present, whether it is responding to treatment, or whether it has returned. The technology is here today. Most patients do not know it exists. Two women sit on opposite sides of the same mission: one builds the infrastructure that makes cancer blood tests trustworthy, the other depends on t

In this episode, we hear the remarkable story of how personal loss and friendship became the foundation for a 25-year mission to ensure no young adult faces cancer alone. When Brock Yetso was 23, his mother was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. She passed away in just weeks. At the same time, his best friend, Doug Ulman, was fighting cancer for the third time as a college student at Brown University. Rather than walk away from the pain, Brock chose to fight alongside Doug and his family.

In this episode, we hear the remarkable story of how a son, an elder brother, and a family dealt with a devastating cancer diagnosis with love and determination. When George John "GJ" Gerner III was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) at the age of 27 in 2017, he and his close-knit family came together. Inspired by GJ's grit, his younger brother, Colin Gerner, founded and now leads StacheStrong: a foundation that has become one of the most dynamic forces in brain cancer research. Eight

Derek DeAngelis has spent his career making millions of people laugh. Known to his fans as Derek D, he’s hosted more than 2,300 episodes of the two-time Webby Award-winning show Fast Lane Daily, earned three Telly Awards, and appeared on the Key of Awesome YouTube channel. In December 2024, a routine blood test changed everything. After weeks of unexplained fatigue, a CT scan revealed a massive tumor engulfing his left kidney. The doctor called him between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Six days

Despite facing a long family history of cancer, testing positive for a BRCA mutation at 30, and surviving breast cancer at 32, Katie Rabinowitz was living her best life as an attorney and marathon runner. Then she ran through severe chest pain at a Boulder, Colorado marathon. Initially, her doctors thought running was the cause of the 35-year-old’s chest pain. But then, everything changed. Katie’s cancer had metastasized to her chest, lymph nodes, and brain. Many people would have stopped runnin

Behind every breakthrough in cancer science and medicine is a complex ecosystem of funding, peer review, and strategic support that allows innovative investigators to thrive. On this episode of Believe in Progress, we meet two of the key players in that ecosystem at the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR). Dr. Yixian (John) Zhang is the Vice President of Research and Grants Administration at the AACR. With decades of experience in the nonprofit sector and industry, Dr. Zhang oversee