Finding it hard to talk about living with metastatic breast cancer?

Explore our guide on making difficult conversations better

The truth is, it is not always easy to talk about metastatic breast cancer. By talking to people living with this disease, we have learned that they often struggle to have the conversations they want to have, even with those they are closest to. Sometimes the most important conversations are the hardest for people to tackle – whether that’s discussing end-of-life care or financial and family arrangements after death.

My BroadCast Companion, a resource developed in collaboration with people living with metastatic breast cancer and experts involved in their treatment, aims to help people living with it and those around them – including friends, family and healthcare professionals – to break the silence that can come with a diagnosis. The guide is packed with tips and advice to make having these difficult conversations a little bit easier.

Read our conversation guide: My BroadCast Companion: Talking about living with metastatic breast cancer

“Being diagnosed with an incurable cancer completely changes your world, and it changes your perspective of everything”

Designed to accompany the My BroadCast Companion conversation guide and shine a light on the real life experiences of women living with metastatic breast cancer, My BroadCast is a short podcast series hosted by Lauren Mahon, broadcaster and breast cancer survivor. In this series, Lauren is joined by women living with metastatic breast cancer to chat about the challenges of living with a terminal diagnosis. Tune in as they candidly discuss life with this disease and navigate all important topics from mental health, to managing friendships and conversations with children.

In memory of Jennifer Cronje & Nicky Newman, two powerful and inspirational voices in the advanced breast cancer community who we are forever grateful to for speaking so openly about their experiences and offering invaluable advice for others in the community.

Listen to the series on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Acast.

‘Radio Silence’ in
metastatic breast cancer

To understand challenges currently faced by people with metastatic breast cancer and the doctors that care for them, two surveys were funded and initiated by Eisai Europe Ltd:

• A patient survey was distributed via patient advocacy groups and through HealthUnlocked between 12–28 August 2018 and had 171 responses from four European countries (France, Italy, Spain and UK) and Russia.
• A doctors/nurses survey was distributed via SERMO between 12–24 August 2018 and had 82 responses from four European countries (France, Italy, Spain and UK).

Eisai received advice from the following patient advocates and healthcare professionals who provided insights into the survey findings and call-to-action to address the unmet patient and HCP needs in metastatic breast cancer for inclusion in the ‘MBC Radio Silence’ report:

• Professor John Crown, Consultant Medical Oncologist at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.
• Dr Alexia Bertuzzi, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Humanitas Research Hospital IRCCS in Milan, Italy.
• Dr Ana Casas (Actitud frente al Cancer), Medical Oncologist at the Fundación Actitud frente al Cáncer, at the Virgen del Rocío Hospital, Seville, Spain.
• Elisabetta Veneziani Santonio, AYA Collaborator at the Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) project at the Cancer Center Istituto Clinico Humanitas in Milan, Italy.
• Jean Robinson, advanced breast cancer patient.
• Andrea Cannon, Breast Care Nurse Consultant, Think Pink Foundation, Australia.