4.3 - Breast Cancer Today: What Every Canadian Woman Needs to Know, with MJ DeCoteau and Dr. Christine Brezden-Masley
It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this is one conversation every woman needs to hear.
One in eight Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Chances are, it has already touched someone you love. But how much do we really know about where breast cancer stands in Canada today?
In this episode, I sit down with two powerhouse voices in the breast cancer community. MJ DeCoteau founded Rethink Breast Cancer in 2001 after losing her mother to metastatic breast cancer when MJ was just 22, and she has spent more than two decades championing young people, those living with metastatic breast cancer, and communities that have been historically underserved. And Dr. Christine Brezden-Masley, a medical oncologist and researcher, joins us to break down the science, the treatments, and what's coming next.
Together, we cover:
- What breast cancer actually is, and the different types every woman should understand.
- Whether diagnoses are increasing in Canada, and what's behind the numbers.
- The risk factors we can and can't control.
- The latest breakthroughs in treatment.
- Whether access to care is improving, and for whom it still isn't.
- What survivorship really looks like, long after treatment ends.
- Why breast cancer in younger women is different, from diagnosis to treatment to life after cancer.
- How menopause, hormones and breast cancer intersect
- What the future holds for breast cancer diagnostics, treatment and survivorship.
- And what's next for Rethink Breast Cancer.
Whether you're a survivor, a caregiver, or simply want to be informed and empowered about your own health, this episode will leave you knowing more, and ready to advocate for yourself and the women you love.
Resources
Rethink Breast Cancer: rethinkbreastcancer.com
Follow Rethink on Instagram: @rethinkbreastcancer
Canadian Cancer Society: cancer.ca
New episodes of Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo drop every Thursday on all your favourite podcast platforms. Watch the full video conversation on my Substack: www.melissagrelo.substack.com
Tech and Audio Producer: Drew Garner