Cancer doesn’t just take a toll on the body, it can also take a serious toll on a person’s financial life. In this episode, Hajar talks with Tameka Brooks, a financial empowerment coach at Roswell Park, and Dr. Anurag Singh, a radiation oncologist and researcher, about something called financial toxicity, the stress and burden patients experience as a result of the financial impact of cancer.

They explore how insurance confusion, lost income, housing insecurity, and out-of-pocket costs can compound the challenges of treatment, why many patients feel too ashamed or uncomfortable to bring up financial concerns with their doctors, and how that stress can actually affect health outcomes and survival.

Keep up with all things Smarter Than Cancer and let us know what you think of the show at https://www.roswellpark.org/smarterthancancer

What’s so scary about a bone marrow transplant? Not nearly as much as there used to be. The procedure has changed so much that it isn’t even really a bone marrow transplant any more. Modern stem cell transplants rebuild healthy bone marrow in a way that is safer and more effective than ever before, offering treatment options and paths to remission that would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago. In today’s episode, David talks to Dr. Shernan Holton about why we can replace fear with hope and optimism.

Keep up with all things Smarter Than Cancer and let us know what you think of the show at https://www.roswellpark.org/smarterthancancer

Laura Mango is a doctor, but that didn’t make it any easier when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. What it did do is completely change how she sees herself, her work, and her relationship with the people she cares for. In today’s episode, she sits down with David to talk about her parallel journeys as a doctor, a patient, and a mother, and how each has made the others richer and more profound.

Keep up with all things Smarter Than Cancer and let us know what you think of the show at https://www.roswellpark.org/smarterthancancer