Hope With Answers: Living With Lung Cancer Lung Cancer Foundation of America

Cada año, alrededor de 6.000 hombres hispanos y 5.800 mujeres hispanas serán diagnosticados con cáncer de pulmón. El cáncer de pulmón es la principal causa de muerte por cáncer entre los hombres hispanos y la segunda causa entre las mujeres hispanas. Por eso la detección temprana es fundamental.
El Dr. Jonathan Villena-Vargas, un reconocido experto en cáncer de pulmón, y Yovana María Portillo, una sobreviviente de cáncer de pulmón, se reúnen en este podcast informativo para compartir sus ideas y experiencias, ofreciendo esperanza y orientación a los pacientes y sus familias, en particular a aquellos en el Comunidad hispana. Discuten la definición y los tipos de cáncer de pulmón, enfatizando que cualquier persona con pulmones puede desarrollar la enfermedad, no solo los fumadores.
La historia personal de Yovana como nunca fumadora diagnosticada a los 35 años resalta la importancia de la detección temprana y una mayor conciencia de los factores de riesgo más allá del tabaquismo. El podcast explora los últimos avances en opciones de tratamiento, incluida la cirugía, la quimioterapia, la radiación, las terapias dirigidas, la inmunoterapia y la terapia combinada, que se adaptan al tipo y estadio específico del cáncer de pulmón de cada paciente. Yovana comparte su viaje a través de la abrumadora experiencia de un diagnóstico de cáncer de pulmón, aprendiendo nueva terminología médica y tomando decisiones de tratamiento con su equipo médico, al mismo tiempo que arroja luz sobre los factores culturales que impactan la experiencia del cáncer de pulmón en las comunidades hispanas.
Tanto la Dra. Villena-Vargas como Yovana enfatizan la importancia de desestigmatizar el cáncer de pulmón, promover la detección temprana mediante pruebas de detección y fomentar la comunicación abierta con los proveedores de atención médica. A lo largo del podcast, ofrecen una poderosa combinación de conocimientos médicos y experiencia personal, brindando a los pacientes conocimiento y esperanza, y trabajando incansablemente para mejorar los resultados y la calidad de vida de los afectados por el cáncer de pulmón.
Invitados
Jonathan Villena-Vargas, MD; Profesor asistente de cirugía cardiotorácica en el Hospital Presbiteriano de Nueva York, Weill Cornell MedicineYovana María Portillo, defensora del paciente y Voz de la Esperanza: miembro de la Oficina de Oradores de la LCFA
Mostrar notas | Transcripción | Ver video
Recursos adicionales
El impacto del cáncer de pulmón en la comunidad hispana | Instituto del Cáncer Rutgers de Nueva Jersey
¿Cómo afecta el cáncer de pulmón a los latinos?
Cómo detectar el cáncer de pulmón: detección temprana y más | LCFA
El cáncer y los hispanoamericanos | Oficina de Salud de las Minorías
Historia del consumidor - Yovana Portillo – Accidentalmente libre de cáncer, programa de investigación del cáncer de pulmón, programas de investigación médica dirigidos por el Congreso

Discover empowering strategies for lung cancer caregiving in the Hope with Answers podcast. Gain insights from experts and a survivor's story on balancing care with self-care. This episode is a must-watch for any caregiver seeking guidance, support, and the strength to navigate their vital role with grace and resilience.
Guests:Jenni Daniel, BSN, RN - Life Coach for lung cancer survivors and their partners, helping them to navigate their cancer journey. Jenni owns and operates the MyNurse At Home, a cancer and life coach center. 
Frank and Debbie McKenna, Lung Cancer survivor joined by his wife/caregiver.
Show Notes | Transcript | Watch video
Numerous resources are available to assist both lung cancer patients and their caregivers in this journey.
My Nurse At Home 
What is a Lung Cancer Caregiver?
Caring for Someone with Lung Cancer: What to Know
Taking Care of Yourself When You're a Cancer Caregiver | What You Need to Know
Lung Cancer: Being a Better Caregiver
 
LCFA’s mission is the improvement in survivorship of lung cancer patients through the funding of transformative science.
While raising funds to support lung cancer research, LCFA will raise the public’s awareness and serve as a resource for patients or anyone seeking answers, hope, and access to updated treatment information, scientific investigation, and clinical trials.
You can also join the conversation with LCFA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Explore the critical role of biomarker testing in lung cancer treatment with Dr. Salman Punekar, Medical Oncologist at NYU Langone Health. Specializing in early-phase clinical development, Dr. Punekar explains the function of the biomarker STK11, a newer discovery shaping approaches to non-small cell lung cancer therapies. 
Guests
Salman R. Punekar, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine of Medical Oncology at NYU Langone Health. Specialization in early-phase clinical development and translational research.
Stephanie Williams, Lung Cancer survivor and clinical trial participant
Show Notes | Transcript | Watch Video
Unlocking Treatment Pathways for Lung Cancer
Highlighting the crucial role of biomarker testing in lung cancer, take an in-depth look at the function of STK11 as a tumor suppressor gene and its impact when mutated. Learn more about the latest research on the STK11 biomarker's influence on treatment strategies for non-small cell lung cancer from Dr. Salman Punekar. Dr. Punekar explains the function of STK11 as a tumor suppressor gene and its implications when mutated, affecting the efficacy of therapies like immunotherapy. STK11 is believed to negatively influence response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Then hear from Stephanie Williams, a lung cancer patient who underscores the life-changing impact of clinical trials, which informed her treatment and emphasized the importance of biomarker discovery. She shares why she advocates for patient education, the pursuit of clinical trials, and the need for ongoing research to improve lung cancer care.

In this Hope With Answers episode, host Diane Mulligan interviews Dr. Tejas Patil, an oncologist specializing in lung cancer, about ROS1-positive lung cancer. As Dr. Patil explains, "ROS1 is a type of mutation that we see in patients who have lung cancer. It's one of many but it's an important one because there is targeted treatments available to these patients that really are not like chemotherapy."
A ROS1-positive lung cancer, also known as a ROS1 rearrangement in lung cancer, refers to any lung cancer that tests positive for a fusion in the ROS1 gene. ROS1 rearrangements occur in approximately 1-2% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. ROS1-positive lung cancer tends to be aggressive and can spread to the brain and the bones.
The hosts also speak with Lysa Buonanno, a 12-year lung cancer survivor and patient advocate living with ROS1-positive lung cancer. Lysa stresses the importance of self-advocacy. 
"You have to keep advocating for yourself. Throughout this entire process I think that is so critically important." 
She describes her excitement at being able to join a clinical trial for a new targeted therapy when her cancer progressed.
Overall, the episode provides critical information about this rare form of lung cancer, highlights new research and treatments, and offers inspiration through Lysa's story. As Diane says, not only do Dr. Patil and Lysa help us understand ROS1 lung cancer, but they also give hope to anyone living with lung cancer.
Guests
Tejas Patil, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine-Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus 
Lysa Buonanno, Lung Cancer survivor, a mother of two, who has ROS1 mutation and is being treated with the targeted therapy.
Show Notes | Transcript | Watch video

Sexual side effects of a lung cancer diagnosis can be physical, mental, and emotional. Sexuality is about emotional connection and the expression of intimacy. However, a lung cancer diagnosis can change the emotional needs of each partner. Further impacting the situation, sexual problems are not often discussed during oncology visits. And having a sex talk with your doctor may be intimidating. In this podcast, we undercover what lung cancer patients and their partners can expect and how to best discuss these issues with their health care professionals.
Questions like:
How does a lung cancer diagnosis impact intimacy in relationships?
What are some of the physical side effects of lung cancer treatment that can affect intimacy?
How does the emotional burden of a cancer diagnosis affect sexual desire and communication in relationships?
Guests:
Jenni Daniel, BSN, RN, Life Coach for lung cancer survivors and their partners, helping them to navigate their cancer journey. Jenni owns and operates the MyNurse At Home, a cancer and life coach center.
Annabelle Gurwitch, Lung Cancer survivor, actress, activist, and best-selling author went for a Covid test and left with a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. Annabelle’s story of an accidental lung cancer diagnosis is a very common story among lung cancer patients. In Annabelle’s case, getting an accurate diagnosis indicates her biomarker, EGFR Exon21.
Show Notes | Transcript | Watch Video

This episode of Hope With Answers: Living with Lung Cancer Podcast tackles the common misperception that all cancer patients fit the stereotype of being older, frail, chain-smokers. 60% of people living with lung cancer are never-smokers – who work hard to convince others, including their primary care physician, that despite their rather “normal”, vibrant appearance, they face a devastating disease.
Host Diane Mulligan opens the episode by asking “What does someone living with lung cancer look like?” She and co-host Jordan Sherman go on to make the point that in reality, anyone with lungs can develop lung cancer, including young people and never-smokers.
Guests
Dr. David Carbone, The Ohio State University
Aurora Lucas, a Lung Cancer survivor, was diagnosed with Stage 2A Lung Cancer at age 28.
Transcript | Show Notes | Watch Video
Doctors Need to Consider Lung Cancer Despite Patient's Age
They first interview Dr. David Carbone, an oncologist at The Ohio State University, about the stigma around what a typical lung cancer patient looks like. Dr. Carbone stresses that “if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer” and that doctors need to consider lung cancer as a potential diagnosis even in young, healthy never-smokers who present with respiratory symptoms.
Later in the episode, LCFA Speakers Bureau member Aurora Lucas shares her story of being diagnosed with lung cancer in her late twenties. She talks about the difficulty she initially had getting doctors to take her respiratory symptoms seriously:

“The first thing after I told the doctor my concerns about coughing, he said, ‘Everything is okay. Go boil some water and add some honey to it.” And I think I left that office like, what? I just didn’t feel heard.”

Fighting An Outdated Lung Cancer Stereotype
After months of delays, Lucas was finally diagnosed with lung cancer. She now works to educate people that her experience is what lung cancer can look like today - not just the outdated stereotype.
As Mulligan summarizes, appearance can be misleading when it comes to lung cancer. Modern targeted therapies allow many patients to live active lives and maintain normal appearances while battling the disease. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t facing challenges like side effects, scan anxiety, and other struggles behind the scenes.
The takeaway is that anyone with lungs is at risk for lung cancer, regardless of age or smoking status. And just because patients may look well on the outside, doesn’t mean they aren’t fighting a serious diagnosis. LCFA aims to break down misperceptions around what having lung cancer means today.