October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In this episode of the Cancer Matters podcast, Dr Bill Nelson, Director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, speaks with Dr John Fetting and Dr Antonio Wolff about the breast cancer program at Johns Hopkins and the Fetting Fund for Breast Cancer Prevention.
The Fetting Fund was inspired by the breast cancer journey of one of Dr Fetting’s patients, Leslie Ries, and supports research to better understand breast cancer risk factors and develop effective prevention strategies. The goal is to empower women to make informed decisions about their health and reduce their chances of ever facing a breast cancer diagnosis.
This conversation explores some of the causes of breast cancer, like genetic mutations, the challenges physicians face in identifying those at an elevated risk, personalized prevention approaches that balance the benefits of medication with potential side effects, and the role of lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, in lowering the risk of breast cancer.