Key points from today’s guests:

Morning Rounds – Updates on the Latest News

Joshua Morgan, cellist, composer, living with long COVID

• Joshua went from running a mile in under six minutes to having trouble walking up the stairs.
• Because of long COVID, he has stopped doing many activities that had he considered part of his identity.
• He has had COVID four times and after each time, it has changed his long COVID.
• He will provide an “immunity” performance on at The University of Kansas Cancer Center Olathe at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to help bring awareness and support for long COVID patients.

Focus Topic

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System; executive vice chancellor, The University of Kansas Medical Center

• We have seen incredible progress in breast cancer awareness, screening, and treatments over the past few decades. Overall, breast cancer is more survivable than ever, and that deserves to be celebrated.
• But a gap remains between Black and white women, and today we're exploring what could be done, what should be done, and what is being done to help close that gap.
• Part of an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows deaths from breast cancer over time, and since the mid-1980s, the lines have diverged.
• Overall deaths are dropping, but there is a gap. Black women still have a 40 percent higher death rate compared to white women.

Lisa Weatherspoon, triple-negative breast cancer survivor

• Lisa found a lump that was diagnosed at stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer.
• As a Black woman, her chances from dying from breast cancer were 40 percent higher than a white woman.
• When she learned that stat, she was not optimistic about her chances. But she realized that she had determination and resources to fight this.
• Lisa underwent a lumpectomy and chemotherapy.
• She entered into a clinical trial at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. She did so because it offered less chemotherapy, but more importantly, she wanted to help other women.
• Lisa believes faith and science can coexist peacefully in the cancer journey.
• Today she says she is “fantastic” and recommends patients don’t be afraid to reach out for additional resources and support.

Dr. Sandra Stites, chief medical officer, Vibrant Health

• The biggest factor in the disparity is the lack of access.
• If you are uninsured or underinsured, you do not have access to these more advanced therapies.
• What we do is preventative care and primary care, and so we are often in the position to identify if there is problem because of the screening that we're able to do.
• But beyond that, it can get difficult. We can identify a problem from the screening and the next step for diagnosis. Some programs will allow us to do diagnosing, but the treatment arm is what is missing and is very underrepresented for our patients.
• Health care is evolving because of the science and research. Diseases that were fatal are now being treated as chronic illnesses.
• Genetics play a big role in higher rates of triple-negative breast cancer in Black women.
• We need more health care access for women of color.

Dr. Priyanka Sharma, breast medical oncologist; co-leader, Drug Discovery, Delivery, and Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Cancer Center

• We need to understand the individual’s circumstances – social determinants, their wishes, their co-morbidities – to ensure that appropriate treatment for that individual actually gets delivered.
• About 20 percent of all triple negative breast cancers in the U.S. impact Black women and it has a lower survival rate compared to other breast cancer subtypes.
• There may be an under-representation of women of color in clinical trials because where they typically seek care do not offer clinical trials.
• We would not have made the progress we have without the help of patients like Lisa who participate in important clinical trials.
• The next challenge is the ability to deliver those newer treatments that are impacting survival to all individuals impacted by those cancers, equitably, and that's what will require efforts from multifaceted key stakeholders.

COVID Updates

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, Infection Prevention & Control, The University of Kansas Health System

• Free COVID tests are available online from the government.
• COVID is not circulating as high as it was previously, but there could be additional cycles throughout the year.
• The CDC has updated guidance for respiratory viruses. If you are ill, you need to stay home and away from others until your symptoms are improved or resolved and you are fever-free for 24 hours.

Thursday, Oct. 3 at 8 a.m. is the next All Things Heart. We explain the link between breast cancer treatments and heart problems, and the doctors who specialize in minimizing those risks.

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