Episode Five: Dr. Laura Esserman and Dr. Steve Birrell (Pioneering Androgen Therapies for Breast Cancer & Should All Breast Cancers Be Called Cancer?)
In this episode, you’ll meet Dr. Laura Esserman and Dr. Steve Birrell, who are collaborating to change the breast cancer treatment paradigm. This topic is more relevant than ever, given recent developments in the world of celebrities and influencers, such as Olivia Munn, who announced she had a double mastectomy for Luminal B breast cancer. Dr. Esserman is a force of nature in breast cancer. Since 1993, she’s worked at UCSF as a surgeon and oncology specialist, and co-lead of their Breast Oncology Program. She’s gained an audience by publishing over 400 peer-reviewed articles and appearing in mainstream news, such as the New York Times, where she published a provocative editorial this summer on whether Ductal Carcinoma in SITU should still be called cancer. In 2016, she was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential. She was also a member of President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Esserman is the Principal Investigator of the I-SPY TRIAL group with the incomparable Dr. Steve Birrell, Founder of HAVAH Therapeutics, based in Adelaide, Australia. Havah is developing a potentially revolutionary testosterone-based approach to the treatment of breast cancer. Dr. Birrell’s three-decade career in cancer spans many roles. He’s a specialist, surgeon, medical innovator, and one of the most published molecular oncologists. The two of them are collaborating on an I-SPY trial reevaluating the treatment of DCIS. Tune in as we’ll talk about the context and rationale for this trial and the science as we learn about them and how their passions outside of their research fuel their commitment to innovation.
