Latest / The YMyHealth Podcast | Wellness and Healthcare Insights for Millennials / Colorectal Cancer Research and Advocacy
Transcript
- Melissa Schenkman (00:42) Hey everyone, it's Melissa. Welcome to today's podcast, which is our research focused Monday of the month. And today's research is going to focus on colorectal cancer research. very important. And our guest today is Allison Rosen, who has a wealth of research experience and is also a colorectal cancer survivor and several other titles, former fight CRC ambassador, current member of the RATS program, which is our Research Advocacy Training and Support program. A mouthful...provides CRC, but so happy to have you on the podcast. Allison Rosen (01:15) So excited to be here to talk about everything. Melissa Schenkman (01:18) Well, you have an extensive background in research, including 12 years in basic cancer research. What made you decide to apply for the RATS program? Allison Rosen (01:28) Yeah, so I worked in research for a long time and then I pivoted to a sort of more public health career, but I still love research. And I also wanted to learn more about colorectal cancer research because I worked in blood cancer, stem cell biology. Again, amazing field, amazing researchers that do great work, but I really wanted to learn more about colorectal cancer. So I wanted also to do it with, you know, a group of people that were like me, survivors, patients, caregivers, so I could learn from, again, leading experts in the field and know more about what was going on because When I was in research, I had more time to read journals and keep up to date on what was going on with rats. It's a great program. They help teach you a little more about research advocacy, but also bring in experts that talk to you about all the advances and things that are going on in colorectal cancer. Melissa Schenkman (02:24) Very, very cool. Yeah, I was wondering kind of like what makes the program unique compared to other, because you think, okay, research training program, like they're going to teach me how to go through a study. Yeah. So what makes this particular program unique? Allison Rosen (02:27) Well, besides being focused just on colorectal cancer, I think the wealth of knowledge that they bring in, they bring in so many experts to talk about different things. And rarely do you have access to someone like that dedicated for like, you know, 12 or 20 of us rats to be able to ask them whatever we want and create relationships. But on that, you get to go to conferences and learn from leading experts. And then on top of that, they help guide you as far as panels and help to review grants and be the patient voice for grant application or for a clinical trial or whatnot. there's a lot of different avenues. So no matter where you are in your knowledge as far as research, you don't have to be like me and have a ton of experience. You don't have to have any experience in research. But ultimately the idea is to learn, want to learn. I found with Young Onset, a lot of Young Onset people do their own research. They dive right in and they try to figure out what is the best treatment for them and their own best advocate. So it's also an opportunity again for me to learn from others as far as how they got their knowledge so I can help guide other people to help get their knowledge there too. Melissa Schenkman (03:29) That's very, very cool because I think sometimes for people, outside of the health field, is important. The idea of it, so I just love the idea that you have a program like this to be a part of and it's also very interesting to other people who are listening that you came from this research background. Because a lot of people think, oh, Yeah. You have that research background, why would you, you're very busy. Busy lady, you know, why would you choose to dedicate time to this? And so it makes complete sense because not all research is equal. It's totally different from an area. So it's a brilliant idea. And to your point about advocacy, I want to talk about that. A lot of people think about advocacy in terms of like political advocacy or health policy advocacy, but I don't think they think about research advocacy. So if you can talk a little bit about that aspect of this program. Allison Rosen (04:18) I mean research advocacy is just as important as all the others. All advocacy is important, but really focusing on the research and what's important. So if you are doing policy advocacy, you have the background in research and you can explain to somebody that might not have the background why it's important to fund research, why it's important to have the patient voice included in research. So research advocacy focuses a lot on like what's going on currently, what are the advancements, and you get to help lend your voice to help make sure it's patient-centric. The patient perspective is all patient, survivor, caregiver perspective is always so important. So research advocacy really is focused on the science, the science behind the etiology of colorectal cancer, but also the advancements in prevention, early detection, treatment, and surveillance. Melissa Schenkman (05:04) But it’s very very interesting to hear and it's true all those things are so incredibly important for people to be advocating and spreading that word and in terms of that you're hearing all the time about all different types of research that's happening and there's a lot happening. Yes. And so to kind of sort through the millions, right, of studies and things, you know, what are three things that are on your radar that you think today's fellow millennials should be aware of when it comes to cholera? Allison Rosen (05:31) Yeah, think as far as like screening and prevention and all that, I love seeing the blood tests that are coming out. There's so much research behind that. There's a lot of people that will not do a stool test. And so a blood test is a way to catch millions of people that might not get screened. So I think a lot of companies are working on blood testing. I would also say targeted therapies. So, I mean, you want to have the best treatment for you and your type of tumor. So you're having genetic testing if you have a mutation. You don't have a mutation if you have three mutations. You know, there's so many different mutations in colorectal cancer. And now with targeted therapy and CT DNA testing, you can target the specific mutation you have in your tumor and have the right treatment for you. So you won't have to do, you're not throwing all the chemotherapy in the kitchen sink anymore. You're really giving the person the chemotherapy that's best for them. So targeted therapy, CT DNA, which also includes like immunotherapy, all of that is sort of bucketed into another one. And then I think I would say a lot of the surveillance tests. MCENDS are something that is really, really exciting. Melissa Schenkman (05:04) Yeah, try with our acronyms. Allison Rosen (06:35) Multi-cancer screening early detection test. Okay. So this is a test that will pick up multiple different types of cancer. the sensitivity and specificity, like how good it is essentially, they're working on trying to make sure it's equal to a screening test or surveillance test that's just for one cancer. So you know when you have colorectal cancer or any type of cancer, you're at higher risk for other cancers. So these MCENDS that are coming out or the research that's being happening surrounding them will give someone an opportunity to look to see and do I have, is there any markers related to lung cancer, any markers related to prostate cancer or cervical cancer that potentially pops up? So, MCENDS is another whole field that a lot of pharma companies are trying to work on to, again, help people long-term. Melissa Schenkman (07:22) That's really great. Most millennials are into prevention as a whole. So the idea of having tests like this in our tool belt is really, really cool. Allison Rosen (07:30) I mean we just have to get it through so that the insurance will cover it. Yeah, I mean that's why policy advocacy is so important. Combine research advocacy with policy advocacy. You make it happen. Melissa Schenkman (07:41) Exactly, exactly. No, very true. And what would you say you're most hopeful or excited about when it comes, you know, to the future of research in the colorectal cancer space? Allison Rosen (07:52) I would say I'm most hopeful about being able to pick it up and prevent it as early as possible. you know, once hopefully these tests are readily available, I'm hopeful that hopefully they'll be available for people earlier than age 45 so that we can prevent colorectal cancer before it even happens, because there's only a few cancers that are preventable through screening. And so, I mean, I think a lot of the treatment options that I've talked about in the trials and whatnot, but I do think... My goal and everyone's goal is prevention and early detection. So if we can get that accessible to people earlier on, then we can potentially save lives. And that is why I got involved in advocacy to help save lives. Melissa Schenkman (07:41) That's absolutely wonderful. And I agree with you wholeheartedly that that is something I'm also very hopeful about as you tell me about the different research that's out there and this focus on prevention and spreading that awareness of the prevention. Well, thank you so much for sharing all of this with us. Of course. Extremely interesting. And I think a lot of people may not have realized about the multiple, the tests that are being done. Say it again. I know it's a mouthful. Allison Rosen (08:56) So Multi-cancer early detection test. Melissa Schenkman (09:00) Multi-cancer early detection tests. About those, I think a lot of people are going to say, I hadn't thought about that. I've heard different things in the news, different trends. I want to look into this for the future. And that's very exciting. Thank you so much. Of course. Allison Rosen (09:01) Of course. Happy to be here. Julie (09:13) SPONSOR COMMERCIAL/Music Now we'd like to take a minute to talk about today's sponsor, Diekman Dysautonomia. Have you or a loved one been struggling with symptoms like fainting, a racing heart, or crushing fatigue only to feel dismissed or unheard by doctors? You may be experiencing dysautonomia, POTS, or long COVID. Dr. Sarah Diekman understands because she has been there. As someone who faced POTS during medical school, Dr. Diekman knows firsthand the frustration of searching for answers. That's why she's turned her fight into a mission to help patients with these conditions live fuller, healthier lives. 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