Cancer Interviews

It is our sincere hope that however cancer may be impacting you or your loved ones, that you will find the Cancer Interviews podcast and our interviews with amazing cancer survivors, caregivers, oncology professionals and others, helpful, informative and encouraging! Our guests share their stories with things like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, stem cell transplants, bone marrow transplants, the emotional ups and downs of being a cancer patient, being a caregiver for a loved one fighting cancer, as well as cancer nutrition and allow them an opportunity to tell us about their life before, during and after their cancer journey. We do not provide medical advice on this podcast. Please remember, you are not alone and we invite you to be a part of our team, where together, everyone achieves more! We are sharing the journey together and we wish you the very best possible outcome, with your cancer journey!

Cancer Interviews is a health podcast hosted by Jim Foster, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jim Foster hosts Cancer Interviews, a health show with 100 episodes published.

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  Cancer Interviews

  186: Dominique Bieger survived breast cancer | letrozole | aromatase inhibitor | sentinel node | necrosis

  Aug 17, 202629 min

  In 2024, Dominique Bieger knew something was wrong when she felt a tickling, biting sensation in her left breast. After a series of mammograms, an echogram, an ultrasound and a vacuum assisted biopsy, she learned she had invasive ductal carcinoma, or breast cancer. She would have to get a quadrant of the cancerous breast surgically removed. Dominique was happy to learn she could avoid chemotherapy, instead for hormonal treatment, featuring letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor. The letrozole left her hands, her feet and joints in severe pain. She went off the letrozole and is investigating another post-surgery regimen. Much of the pain is gone, leaving Dominique free to pursue a career as a chef. When Dominique noticed this irritating sensation in her left breast, she did not immediately seek medical attention. Because various cousins had been diagnosed with the BRCA mutation, in 2019, Dominique underwent a mammogram which showed she did not have the mutation. She underwent another mammogram in 2023, which again showed her breasts to be cancer-free. However, she had another mammogram done in 2025, along with a vacuum assisted biopsy. Days later, the hospital called her and asked her to come in. When she did, she was told she had invasive ductal carcinoma in a quadrant of her left breast, and the cancer had to be removed. After a successful surgical procedure, Dominique was told she would not have to be put on chemotherapy. Instead, a hormonal regimen would suffice. Its primary ingredient was letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor. She also underwent fifteen rounds of radiation treatment. Dominique said the letrozole was very difficult as it resulted in pain in her hands, feet and joints. At times, it also made her depressed. To make matters worse, her work was done on the computer, and she was in too much pain to work. Dominique Bieger is off the letrozole. She and her care team and trying to craft a regimen that will be effective without resulting in so much pain. By way of advice, Dominique says if your doctor suggests a certain schedule for you to get a mammogram, to follow that schedule. It can make the difference between staying in front of breast cancer and getting a diagnosis. Additional Resources: Dominique's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DominiqueJoileSmallWonders Dominique's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominique-florence-b-80354417

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  Cancer Interviews

  185: David Peters survived prostate cancer | rezum procedure | sacrum | colonics | cachexia | metformin

  Aug 7, 202631 min

  For David Peters, what began as medical attention to address an enlarged prostate in 2022 became a diagnosis of Stage 4B prostate cancer. Prior to his undergoing a Rezum procedure, a pre-op workup a PSA level of 19. However, nobody at the hospital bothered to check the PSA level before performing the procedure, which placed David at great risk. Not long after that came his diagnosis. David's care team recommended lifelong androgen deprivation therapy. He checked out the side effects and didn't want to go that route. David instead opted for a three-week to Hope4Cancer in Cancun, Mexico, where he underwent an intense holistic regimen. In 2026, when the cancer spread to his bones, he went to the First Nations Clinic in Tennessee, where he is undergoing a nanotherapeutics protocol. It is keeping the cancer at bay, and he enjoys a healthy lifestyle. David said his cancer journey did not begin with cancer symptoms. The combination of frequent urination and a weak stream led him to believe he had an enlarged prostate and went to a doctor. He had many options, but chose a Rezum procedure, in which steam into the prostate through the rectal wall and it shrinks the prostate. However, the care team wanted to first make sure David didn't have prostate cancer, so he was given a PSA test. This was in May of 2022. In August, the surgery was performed; but it wasn't until September that a nurse informed him that his PSA level was dangerously high at 19, meaning the surgery was performed when his risk for cancer was high, but the care team didn't know it! Not long after that, David Peters was diagnosed with Stage 4B prostate cancer, which had spread to his sacrum, iliac chain and a node near his rib cage. His oncologist discussed with Dave various treatment options, but urged him to immediately begin a regimen of androgen deprivation therapy, which would basically shut off his testosterone. It did not David and his wife, Kathi, to agree this was not the way to go, and they opted to see remedies that were more holistic in nature. After some research by David and Kathi, they decided to Hope4Cancer in Mexico, where he would undergo intensive testing and holistic work. He really appreciated that Hope4Cancer treats body, soul and spirit with an eye toward wholeness. He experimented with a raw vegan diet and with fasting. David ended up being more diligent about the meats and vegetables he ate. David continued his cancer journey in February 2026 at the First Nations Clinic in Tennessee, where he began a protocol of nanotherapeutics. They disrupt the cancer cells, and for the first time in three years his PSA went down. He goes to the clinic once a month. David Peters is happy to report he weighs 150 pounds, like he did in high school. He walks every day, exercises three times and does pushups every day. Additional Resources: David's Website: https://www.threewordsdoc.com

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  Cancer Interviews

  184: Tina Calderone-Roth survived ovarian cancer | bilateral oophorectomy | avastin | ascites | lynparza

  Aug 3, 202621 min

  In May 2022, Tina Calderone-Roth felt terrible. She was experiencing fatigue, shortness of breath and nausea. She also gained close to 15 pounds in three days. Nurses she knew suggested she go to the emergency department. Two paracentesis procedures resulted in the removal of 6.5 liters of fluid. Doctors initially noticed a large abdominal mass, but further tests indicated ovarian masses of 7cm and 10cm. Tests also showed Tina had the BRCA-2 gene mutation. She opted to, all at once, undergo a hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. A week after the procedure, it was learned there had been Stage 1B cancer in both ovaries. Tina was next put on six rounds of chemotherapy with carbo-taxol, avastin and the PARP inhibitor, lynparaza. Because of the BRCA-2 gene mutation and with it, the possibility of breast, she decided to get a bilateral mastectomy. Tina reached survivorship and these days, while she can no longer run, she can jog and power walk. Tina had been working for more than two decades in the care management sector of health care in 2022, when her health took a sudden turn for the worse. She was feeling unusually tired, had shortness of breath and her weight shot up by 15 pounds in three days. She had no idea what was going on, but consulted friends who were nurses, and they suggested she go to the emergency department, which she did in the middle of a workday. Tina underwent a CT scan, ultrasound, electrocardiogram, blood work and genetic testing. A subsequent pair of paracentesis procedure removed a combined 6.5 liters of fluid, which explained her sudden, sharp weight gain. Those tests also showed she had a large abdominal mass. Further tests were conducted and they revealed two large ovarian masses, measuring roughly 7cm and 10cm. Meanwhile, the genetic testing revealed Tina had the BRCA-2 gene mutation. She did not want to have multiple surgeries, so she elected to have a hysterectomy along with the removal of both ovaries. About a week later, it was determined the ovaries were cancerous. She and her care team settled on a six-round chemotherapy regimen of carbo-taxol, avastin and the PARP inhibitor, lynparaza. Like many dealing with chemotherapy, Tina was fatigued, had nausea and suffered hair loss, but got through it. She was still concerned about the possibility of being diagnosed with breast cancer because of the gene mutation, so she decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy. If Tina Calderone-Roth's health before her diagnosis could be considered 100 percent, these days she considers her health to be at 90 percent. While she can no longer run, Tina says she can jog and power walk. Additional Resources: Tina's Book: "Where Fears Meets Faith," available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, in paperback and Kindle

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  Cancer Interviews

  183: Bethany Smith has survived lymphoma and thyroid cancer | bleomycin | vinblastine | levothyroxine

  Jul 31, 202631 min

  Bethany Smith is a fighter. Almost immediately after surviving Hodgkin lymphoma, she was diagnosed with metastatic follicular thyroid cancer. In addition to having her thyroid removed, she also underwent total hip replacement. All this while raising three small children. Treatment of her lymphoma included a chemotherapy regimen of adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbzin. Her treatment for thyroid cancer featured radioactive iodine. Bethany credits oxygen therapy for helping her to become free of thyroid cancer and these maintains her health with levothyroxine. Bethany cannot tell you exactly when she first detected in the vicinity of her thyroid. It had been there for years when her mother visited, saw the lump and insisted she seek medical attention. This led to a series of scans and the discovery of a second lump near her clavicle. A biopsy of the lump on her collarbone resulted in a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma in the Autumn of 2022, while the biopsy of the lump on her thyroid came back as "indeterminant." Bethany's care team said it would turn its attention to the thyroid lump after addressing her lymphoma diagnosis. She was placed on a six-month regimen of ABVD chemotherapy, which included adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine. Bethany suffered many of the usual side effects tied to chemo, including fatigue, nausea and hair loss. The latter forced her to cut her hair short and then the purchase of a half dozen wigs of different colors. Bethany attained survivorship from Hodgkin lymphoma, but halfway through her chemo, she underwent a PET scan, which showed two lesions, one on her C5 vertebrae and one on hip. She underwent a biopsy on the lump on her thyroid in the Spring of 2023, which not only indicated follicular thyroid cancer, but that it had metastasized to the bones in her vertebrae and right hip. Bethany had to undergo a thyroidectomy and because was eating away at her right hip, it, too, had to be removed. In September 2023, she began a three-dose regimen of radioactive iodine, which forced her to be kept in isolation. She was given another CT scan that revealed that cancer was in twelve places in her bones. Bethany said the pain of her hip replacement exceeded that of three times giving birth without painkillers. She says she is able to walk just fine these days, walking that includes her love for hiking, and her lack of a thyroid is successfully addressed with levothyroxine, which replaces the hormones lost when her thyroid was removed. Bethany Smith has experienced the physical toll of her two cancer journeys, but then and now, she deals with everything that has come her way with her natural and boundless sense of optimism. Additional Resources: Bethany's app: https://www.stillcancercompanion.com Bethany's YouTube channel: Bethany Smith Cancer

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  Cancer Interviews

  182: Thomas Goode survived multiple myeloma | doxil | plasmacytoma | engraftment | vorinostat | velcade

  Jul 21, 202622 min

  It wasn't easy, but Thomas Goode managed to survive Stage III multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer that originates in bone marrow. When he first experienced pain in his left shoulder, it was misdiagnosed as bursitis. Then he underwent a stem cell transplant no less than three times, with his oldest brother donating the bone marrow for the final two procedures. Thomas has achieved Minimal Residual Disease status and says his physical health is roughly 70 percent of what it was, pre-diagnosis. In 2005, Thomas Goode was leading an active lifestyle. It included bicycle riding and working out. But when he was on vacation with his family, he went to the gym and suddenly experienced acute pain in his left shoulder. He went to his family doctor who said Thomas had bursitis and prescribed pain pills. Thomas was skeptical of this diagnosis because it came because no scans were performed. He sought a second opinion and went to his orthopedic surgeon. The doctor called for an MRI and it revealed a tumor near his shoulder and said it was the source of Thomas' pain. He had the tumor biopsied and it showed a plasmacytoma, cancer that progress to become multiple myeloma. Thomas underwent six weeks of radiation treatment. The pain went away, but it returned. Thomas' multiple myeloma specialist suggested a stem cell transplant, an option Thomas accepted. It began with induction therapy, backed by doxil, vincristine and dexamethasone, aimed at bringing his white blood cell down to a number that would allow for a stem cell transplant. However, the procedure didn't work. The specialist recommended a second stem cell transplant. Thomas learned his oldest brother was a perfect for a bone marrow transplant. The second stem cell transplant included compath, fludarabine and melphalan. It also didn't work, so a third one was performed with velcade, doxil and vorinostat. Thomas followed this with eight days of radiation. His care team proclaimed Thomas is Minimal Residual Disease-negative. Thomas Goode says his health is about 70 percent of what it was before his diagnosis. He can still work out but acknowledges he will always have some level of back pain. By way of advice, he would tell anyone diagnosed with multiple myeloma that the disease is not a death sentence. He says that's because there are more treatment options and better treatment options than when he was diagnosed. Additional Resources: Thomas' Support Group: Triangle Area Myeloma Support Group

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