What Should We Investigate Next? (The Epi Edit Listener Survey)

Hey there, friends! And welcome to The Epi Edit on Changed By Cancer.

If you were looking for a new episode last week, I want to apologize for going quiet without a heads-up. I was in the middle of quite a stubborn back injury that made sitting upright a challenge, to say the least. I'm finally sitting almost comfortably again, but I decided to record today's update off-camera while I finish recovering. But don't worry, I'll be back on video with you very soon.

While I've been working on our upcoming guest interviews, I've also been mapping out our next slate of standalone Epi Edit episodes. As a reminder, these standalone Epi Edits are a chance to step back from personal narratives and do deep dives into the science, population data, and systemic healthcare policies that shape cancer care.

I have six specific topics on my desk that I've been thinking about, but ultimately I want to build these episodes around what you need and want to hear.

To that end, I've put together a quick one-minute survey, and I've linked that in the show notes, descriptions, on our Facebook page, and on our website — ChangedByCancer.com.

And I would love for you to open it up and rate your interests on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Nope, not interested,” and 5 means you're “Super interested.”

So here are the six ideas that are on the table.

Number one: Does stress play a role in cancer? We hear, “Just stay positive and reduce stress” all the time. But what do the biological data actually say?

Number two: A deep dive into clinical trials for cancer treatments. We can explore why clinical trials are conducted, how they're designed, and the history behind how research has been carried out in this country, all of which plays into who now has access to trials today.

Number three: A look at the geography of cancer survival in the US. Where a person lives has a massive impact on cancer outcomes. We'll look at how travel burdens, rural hospital closures, and provider shortages can delay life saving care.

Number four: We could look at intergenerational trauma and epigenetics. Do the lived experiences, environmental exposures, and trauma of our ancestors leave molecular footprints in our DNA?

Number five: How can we use the family tree as an epidemiologic cohort? Many of us piece together our genealogy or genetic family trees. Within those same vital records, can we find clues to uncover multi-generational health patterns that standard one-page clinic forms completely miss?

And idea number six: Peeling back the layers on the unspoken epidemiology of cancer survivorship. For a cancer patient, ringing the bell and finishing active treatment is celebrated. But what do population data reveal about the long term physical, cardiac, and metabolic effects survivors face long after?

Do any of those topics jump out as something you need to understand? Or do they spark an entirely different topic you've been turning over in your mind? The survey has an open space where you can pitch your own burning questions directly to me.

And while you're weighing in, we have some incredible guest interviews lined up. Coming up, I'm speaking with a woman who discovered in her late 20s — along with her entire family — that a devastating pattern of early cancer deaths was driven by a single inherited genetic mutation. We'll talk through the emotional and clinical fallout of that discovery. I'm also bringing on a cancer genetic counselor to demystify what hereditary risk testing looks like on the ground, along with other dedicated healthcare professionals sharing their frontline work.

If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to subscribe, leave a quick review, and most importantly, share with someone you think may need it. And as always, if you have a story to tell, whether as a patient, a family member, a caregiver, or a healthcare provider, reach out through the contact form on our website, which again is ChangedByCancer.com.

Click that survey link in the show notes, let me know your thoughts, and I'll catch you on the next episode!