Staying up-to-date with all of the current information in the breast cancer treatment armamentarium is crucial for patients and their physicians to navigate the complexities of diagnosis, treatment and survivorship, according to Dr. Debu Tripathy. He added that having up-to-date knowledge can empower patients to make informed decisions about their health.
In an interview, Tripathy sat down with CURE to discuss the recent 42nd Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference and the Educated Patient Breast Cancer Summit. These summits — which are half-day events that cover topics such as diagnosis, treatment options, genomics and clinical trials — provide essential resources to support patients.
Tripathy also went on to highlight the importance of staying informed about cancer advancements and how this empowers patients and caregivers to make informed decisions. Notably, he previously served as a professor and chairman of the Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, and as the editor-in-chief at CURE, prior to his retirement in March of 2025.
Transcript:
I think it’s important for patients to be informed of where the science is going, where the clinical trials are going and what they’re exploring. A patient really needs to be informed in as many ways as they can be. They get some of this, of course, through their medical oncologist, through the nurse practitioner and through the whole medical care team. But of course, that is variable from place to place, so it’s good for them to supplement their learning through other channels.
CURE magazine and CURE enterprises in general have been so good at coming up with digestible information that patients can use to augment their care. “What do I do in this situation? What do the tests tell me to do? What can I expect to see in the future? What clinical trials might be appropriate for me?” These are all questions that we hope to answer through forums [like the Educated Patient Breast Cancer Summit] and make it easier for the patients.
