Explore how genetic testing, breast density, family history, and other individual risk factors can be used to tailor screening recommendations

Explore how genetic testing, breast density, family history, and other individual risk factors can be used to tailor screening recommendations.

Explore how genetic testing, breast density, family history, and other individual risk factors can be used to tailor screening recommendations.

Breast cancer screening is evolving, and the future is personalized. In this episode of Menopause Rescue, Dr. Polly Watson sits down with renowned breast surgeon and researcher Dr. Laura Esserman to discuss the groundbreaking WISDOM Study and why a one-size-fits-all approach to mammograms may no longer be the best option for every woman.

“Breast cancer isn’t one disease. We don’t treat it that way anymore. So why are we doing one-size-fits-all screening?” — Dr. Laura Esserman

You’ll learn how genetic testing, breast density, family history, and other risk factors can help create a personalized breast cancer screening plan that detects aggressive cancers earlier while reducing unnecessary callbacks, biopsies, and anxiety for women at lower risk. Dr. Esserman also explains why most women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history, the importance of comprehensive risk assessment, and how personalized screening could save thousands of lives each year.

• “Ninety percent of people who have breast cancer don’t have a family history, so we still have to keep looking.” — Dr. Polly Watson
  
• “You want to do more for the people that need it and decrease the burden of screening for the people who are doing okay.” — Dr. Laura Esserman
• “Let the women decide what they want to do. Give them the information so that they can plan.” — Dr. Polly Watson

Disclaimer: https://hormonewellnessmd.com/podcast#Disclaimer

Dr. Polly Watson is a board-certified OB/GYN and the founder of Hormone Wellness MD. She stepped away from obstetrics and surgery early in her career and has spent the last 20 years focused on menopause, with advanced training through the Menopause Society, ISSWSH, and the Institute for Functional Medicine. Her passion is a whole-person, functional medicine approach that uses menopause as a catalyst for better health. She hosts the Menopause Rescue podcast and sees patients at her clinic, Hormone Wellness MD, in Raleigh, NC.

Dr. Watson looks forward to sharing her knowledge with you to help find a solution to address the imbalance in your system and restore your health.

Dr. Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, is a Professor of Surgery and Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a faculty member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is an internationally recognized leader in personalized breast cancer care and has authored more than 500 peer-reviewed publications focused on transforming how breast cancer is diagnosed, treated, and prevented.

Dr. Esserman leads the groundbreaking I-SPY clinical trial model, an innovative approach designed to dramatically accelerate the development and approval of effective therapies for high-risk breast cancer. She also directs the WISDOM study, a large national effort to personalize breast cancer screening and integrate prevention strategies for over 100,000 women. As founder of Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative, she has championed the integration of research and clinical care to improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary treatment.

Her paradigm-shifting work has earned numerous honors, including recognition on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list. Known as the “singing surgeon,” Dr. Esserman is celebrated not only for her scientific leadership, but also for the compassion and humanity she brings to patient care.