Is My Breast Cancer Hereditary?

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Is My Breast Cancer Hereditary? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What do breast cancer patients need to know about hereditary breast cancer? Expert Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani explains hereditary breast cancer and genetic testing and shares questions for patients to ask their doctor and family members.

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Smith-Graziani.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…ask your family members about their cancer history so that you’re aware of it, and then ask your oncologist if they recommend genetic counseling or testing.”

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Dr. Smith, can breast cancer be hereditary? And should patients suggest that their family members undergo genetic testing?

Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani: 

So breast cancer definitely can be hereditary, we are aware of some forms of inherited breast cancers, and we have identified certain mutations in genes that are passed down along family lines, that increase the risk of getting breast cancer, people who have a significant family history of breast cancer or certain other cancers such as prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, melanoma or ovarian cancer. They may have a higher risk of getting breast cancer in the future.

And so, my activation tip for patients is to ask your family members about their cancer history so that you’re aware of it, and then ask your oncologist if they recommend genetic counseling or testing.

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An Overview of Breast Cancer Subtypes: Tips for Being Proactive

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An Overview of Breast Cancer Subtypes: Tips for Being Proactive from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Breast cancer has various subtypes, but what do patients need to know about them? Expert Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani shares an overview of breast cancer subtypes, what is examined in each type, treatments for some subtypes, and advice for patients to be proactive. 

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Smith-Graziani.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“.. ask, what subtype of breast cancer do I have, and what kinds of treatment would I expect with the subtype of breast cancer?”

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Noted Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Disparities In Breast Cancer Outcomes

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

What are the various subtypes of breast cancer?

Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani:

So we tend to think of breast cancer as being either hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative, or hormone receptor-positive and HER2-positive or hormone receptor-negative and HER2-positive, or what we call triple-negative. Now, that’s really confusing. So let me take a step back. When we are looking at the cancer cells under the microscope, we look at specific proteins in these cells, and based on what proteins we see, we designate it as positive or negative for the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, or a protein called HER2. When a cancer expresses the estrogen or progesterone receptor, that means that it feeds off of those hormones that your body makes, and that’s why we refer to it as hormone receptor-positive.

When your breast cancer over expresses a particular protein called HER2 that allows us to target your cancer with certain treatments that target HER2-positive cells. When a breast cancer is triple-negative, that means that it is negative for all three of those proteins, it does not have the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, or the HER2 protein. 

And it’s important that we know what subtype of breast cancer you have, because it affects the type of treatment that you can get. So my activation tip is that patients should ask, “What subtype of breast cancer do I have, and what kinds of treatment would I expect with the subtype of breast cancer?”

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What Is Node-Positive and Node-Negative Breast Cancer?

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What is Node-Positive and Node-Negative Breast Cancer? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Node-positive and node-negative breast cancer are two types, but what do patients need to know about them? Expert Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani explains the difference between the types and recommends questions for patients to ask their doctor.

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Smith-Graziani.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…ask, ‘What stage of breast cancer do I have, where has my breast cancer spread?’”

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What Treatments Are Available for HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer?

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

What is node-positive and node-negative breast cancer, and how does this impact breast cancer staging?

Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani:

A Great question. So when breast cancer starts, it starts in the cells of the breast, usually the first place that it spreads to after it leaves the breast, are what we call lymph nodes that are under the arm or sometimes in the chest, and when we say that cancer is node-positive it means that we have found evidence of cancer cells in those lymph nodes.

Node-negative breast cancer is cancer that has just been found in the breast, and you don’t see any evidence of it in the lymph nodes. So my activation tip for patients is you should ask, “What stage of breast cancer do I have, where has my breast cancer spread?”

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Breast Cancer Staging: An Expert Explains

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Breast Cancer Staging: An Expert Explains from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What do breast cancer patients need to know about staging? Expert Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani explains breast cancer staging, parts of the body that can be involved, and recommended questions for patients to ask their doctor.

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Smith-Graziani.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…ask what stage your breast cancer is, ask if it is potentially curable and also ask what the risk is of your breast cancer coming back after it’s treated.”

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See More from [ACT]IVATED Breast Cancer

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Pain Outcomes Among Black Women with Early Stage Breast Cancer After Mastectomy

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Dr. Smith, a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, it is overwhelming. Can you speak to staging, and more specifically, what is early breast cancer, or EBC?

Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani:

Sure. So we assign breast cancer a stage from zero to IV, and that’s based on the size of the cancer itself and whether that cancer has spread to other parts of the body, as well as other factors like how the cells look under the microscope and what proteins we see in the cancer or cells. So we consider early stage breast cancer to be any stage that is lower than stage IV, so to zero through IV, stage zero breast cancer is also called DCIS which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, and that means that the cancer cells are just in the milk ducts and have not spread beyond those milk ducts.

Stage I, II and III, cancers are spread beyond the milk ducts to the surrounding breast tissue, and they may have also spread to the lymph nodes under the arm or in the chest, and the higher stage breast cancer you have, the higher that number, the higher the risk is of your breast cancer coming back after the treatment is completed.

Now, stage IV breast cancer is cancer that started in the breast but has spread to other distant organs like the lungs or the liver or the bone, we also call this metastatic breast cancer, stage IV breast cancer, unfortunately, can’t be cured, but we can still treat it. So my activation tip for patients is ask what stage your breast cancer is, ask if it is potentially curable and also ask what the risk is of your breast cancer coming back after it’s treated.

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How Is Breast Cancer Explained to Newly Diagnosed Patients?

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How Is Breast Cancer Explained to Newly Diagnosed Patients? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What’s important for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients to know? Expert Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani shares how she explains breast cancer to her patients and advice to patients to help ensure their optimal care.

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Smith-Graziani.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…ask your doctor about what type of breast cancer you have and what cells that your breast cancer came from.”

Download Guide  |   Descargar Guía en Español

See More from [ACT]IVATED Breast Cancer

Related Resources:

What is High-Risk Breast Cancer?
 
An Overview of Breast Cancer Subtypes | Tips for Being Proactive
 
 Noted Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Disparities In Breast Cancer Outcomes

Noted Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Disparities In Breast Cancer Outcomes

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Dr. Smith, how do you explain breast cancer to your newly diagnosed patients, knowing that they probably have heard about breast cancer or may even know somebody who has been impacted by breast cancer, this is your newly diagnosed patient, how do you explain that in detail with them?

Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani:

So breast cancer starts when normal cells in the body or in the breast develop mutations that are changes in their DNA, and those changes caused them to grow and divide out of control. So the most common types of breast cancer come from the cells in the milk ducts, or the cells in the glands that make milk, and when the cancer starts in the cells of the milk ducts, we call it ductal cancer, when the cancer starts in the cells that make the milk, those glands, we call it lobular cancer. So my activation tip is to ask your doctor about what type of breast cancer you have and what cells that your breast cancer came from.

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What Is High-Risk Breast Cancer?

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What is High-Risk Breast Cancer? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What exactly is high-risk breast cancer, and who is most at-risk for this type? Expert Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani explains different types of high-risk breast cancer proactive questions for patients to ask their doctor for optimal care.

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Smith-Graziani.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…ask, ‘What type of breast cancer do I have, what subtype of breast cancer do I have, and what stage of breast cancer do I have, and what is the risk of it coming back in the future?’”

Download Guide  |   Descargar Guía en Español

See More from [ACT]IVATED Breast Cancer

Related Resources:

How Is Breast Cancer Explained to Newly Diagnosed Patients?
 
What is Node-Positive and Node-Negative Breast Cancer?
 
Emerging Treatments In Breast Cancer: Are Antibody Drug Conjugates Here to Stay?
 

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Dr. Smith, what exactly is high-risk breast cancer? And what populations are most at risk for high-risk breast cancer?

Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani:

So certain breast cancers are at a higher risk of coming back in the future after they’ve been treated,  the things that put you at a higher risk of having your breast cancer come back, is when your breast cancer is at a higher stage, meaning that it’s a larger cancer or one that has spread to the lymph nodes, under the arm or in the chest.

Also, there are certain subtypes of breast cancer that are known to be more aggressive, such as triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-positive breast cancer, and those also have a higher risk of coming back in the future, so my activation tip for patients is to ask, “What type of breast cancer do I have, what subtype of breast cancer do I have, and what stage of breast cancer do I have, and what is the risk of it coming back in the future?”

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