Precision Medicine Podcast

Liquid biopsy is breaking speed and access barriers in precision oncology. In this episode of the Precision Medicine Podcast, part of our series Bringing Precision Medicine to Everyone and the first in a two-part focus, founder and host Karan Cushman speaks with Dr. Kashyap Patel, CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates, author, and national leader in value-based oncology.Together, they explore how liquid biopsy is changing the diagnostic and treatment landscape. This blood-based test can deliver results in days, be repeated as needed, and reduce the need for invasive procedures. Tissue biopsy remains important, but when the samples are too small or unsuitable for testing, liquid biopsy provides a valuable alternative in guiding treatment decisions and monitoring disease.For patients with aggressive “turbo cancers” such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or small cell lung cancer, the time saved can be lifesaving. Karan shares her own experience with DLBCL, while Dr. Patel highlights real-world cases where liquid biopsy revealed actionable mutations, informed therapy, or enabled minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring.Finally, Dr. Patel underscores the need for standardization and payer alignment to move liquid biopsy from innovation to everyday practice. This candid discussion frames liquid biopsy not as a futuristic idea, but as a clinically powerful and scalable tool that is closing gaps in precision oncology today.

When patients understand their inherited risk for cancer, they’re empowered to take action—often before cancer has a chance to take hold.In this second episode of our Bringing Precision Medicine to Every Patient series, host Karan Cushman is joined by two trusted experts, Ellen Matloff and Dr. Angella Charnot-Katsikas. Together, they provide clear, practical guidance on how patients and clinicians can identify inherited cancer risk early—and take steps to address it.Whether you’re a patient wondering where to begin, or a provider navigating limited time and resources, this episode delivers clear takeaways to help you move from uncertainty to informed action.It’s a timely reminder that precision medicine doesn’t begin with treatment—it begins with knowledge. And with the right tools and support, patients can take control of their health and rewrite the story for generations to come. (Be sure to subscribe here so you don't miss an episode in this important series!)Ellen Matloff is a nationally recognized genetic counselor, founder and CEO of My Gene Counsel, and a leading voice in digital health and patient-centered genomics. She founded and led the Yale Cancer Genetic Counseling Program and was a plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case that overturned gene patenting.Dr. Angella Charnot-Katsikas is Chief Medical Officer at Palmetto GBA and a molecular diagnostics expert who helps guide coverage decisions through her work in precision medicine policy.They share compelling stories that bring the science to life. Ellen reflects on one of her first BRCA1-positive patients—a healthy young mother who chose preventive surgery based on a powerful family history of cancer and a determination to break the cycle. Dr. Katsikas offers her own experience as both a pre-vivor and survivor, whose early diagnosis was only possible because of proactive testing and screening guided by her family history.The episode also explains why many patients still miss these opportunities—due to limited awareness, inconsistent risk assessments, and systemic barriers in access. The guests highlight the limitations of consumer tests like 23andMe and the critical role of genetic counselors in interpreting results and guiding decisions.They offer actionable strategies for integrating family history collection and risk assessment into routine care, including the use of digital tools in busy or resource-limited settings. Reimbursement challenges are discussed, alongside encouraging progress toward making precision medicine standard of care.Special thanks to our good friend Dr. Kashyap Patel and the No One Left Alone initiative forcollaborating with us on this series. Our goal with Bringing Precision Medicine to Everyone is to equip patients, caregivers and care teams with the knowledge and tools needed to deliver the best of modern cancer care–no matter where a patient lives.

In this episode of the Precision Medicine Podcast, host Karan Cushman engages in a thought-provoking discussion with two pioneers in AI-driven oncology: Dr. Douglas Flora and Dr. Sanjay Juneja. Together, they explore how AI is revolutionizing cancer care, from earlier detection and faster diagnoses to personalized treatments and clinical trial optimization.AI’s potential in oncology is game-changing. Dr. Flora and Dr. Juneja break down how AI is helping to identify cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages, automate biomarker testing, and streamline clinical trials to match patients with the best therapies faster than ever before. AI is not just a futuristic concept—it is already helping oncologists reduce misdiagnoses, improve screening accuracy, and speed up treatment approvals, all of which could significantly improve patient outcomes.But if AI is so transformative, why isn’t it more widely used? Adoption remains one of the biggest hurdles, with challenges ranging from regulatory barriers and insurance limitations to the slow integration of AI into clinical practice. Karan challenges her guests to explain what needs to change for AI-driven precision medicine to reach more patients—sooner rather than later.With her patient-first perspective, Karan ensures the conversation stays focused on what these advancements mean for real people. Looking ahead to 2030, the discussion explores what a fully AI-integrated oncology system could look like—and why the revolution in cancer care isn’t coming—it’s already here.Dr. Douglas Flora is the Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, and Dr. Sanjay Juneja is a hematologist-oncologist, social media educator, and VP of Clinical AI Operations at Tempus AI. Both guests are co-founders of Tensor Black, an education and consulting company specializing in AI applications in oncology.

In part one of a two-part series on prostate cancer, the Precision Medicine Podcast addresses critical challenges as well as new advancements in prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. Host, Karan Cushman, is joined by Dr. William Oh, Director of Precision Medicine at Yale Cancer Center and Chair of the American Cancer Society National Prostate Cancer Roundtable. Together, they shed light on the complexities of prostate cancer and how early screening can address rising incidence rates and persistent disparities, particularly among African American men. Subscribe to get Part 2 delivered straight to your inbox.Prostate cancer currently affects one in eight men in the US, with African American men facing a one-in-six risk and 70% higher incidence rate than White men. These disparities extend to earlier onset and more aggressive disease presentations. Globally, the disease is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in 112 countries and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in 48 countries. The incidence of prostate cancer has been rising steadily. There has been a 3% annual increase in cases and a 5% annual rise in advanced prostate cancer diagnoses since 2014. Throughout the series, Dr. Oh discusses the role precision medicine can play in addressing these trends by tailoring prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies to individual patient profiles. Karan and Dr. Oh begin the conversation by highlighting critical advances in prostate cancer care, including the development of over a dozen FDA-approved drugs in recent decades. Listeners will learn of the systemic barriers that often prevent men from accessing these treatments, resulting in just half of men with advanced prostate cancer receiving standard-of-care therapies—a fact that underscores the need to improve access and equity in treatment. Dr. Oh chairs the American Cancer Society National Prostate Cancer Roundtable, which aims to address these gaps by uniting diverse stakeholders—from patient advocacy groups to scientific organizations—to improve outcomes through collaborative efforts. The discussion also explores the role of environmental and epigenetic factors in prostate cancer risk. Dr. Oh discusses how stress, socioeconomic disparities, and toxic exposures, such as those experienced by 9/11 first responders, may alter DNA and increase cancer risk. He compares these findings to the higher incidence of prostate cancer among African American men who live in environments that exacerbate health disparities. Dr. Oh emphasizes the importance of identifying and mitigating these risks to improve outcomes. Screening is a key topic throughout the conversation, and Dr. Oh discusses the challenges of early detection and the controversies surrounding PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening. While current guidelines recommend baseline PSA testing for most men between the ages of 50 to 55, new evidence supports earlier screening for high-risk populations, particularly African American men who should begin testing between ages 40 and 45. This shift toward earlier detection is critical for addressing aggressive cancers before they progress to advanced stages. Dr. Oh goes on to explain the importance of genetic testing, which reveals up to 10% of advanced prostate cancer cases involve BRCA or other DNA repair mutations. Recognizing these mutations early can inform targeted treatments like PARP inhibitors, yet Dr. Oh notes that many patients are not tested, underscoring the need for better implementation of precision diagnostics. By linking genetic data to clinical outcomes, precision medicine can help tailor treatments to the unique needs of each patient. The episode concludes with a call to action for improved education and collaboration. Dr. Oh emphasizes the need for patients to discuss family history and risk factors with their doctors and for primary care physicians to prioritize early conversations about prostate health. He advocates for a comprehensive approach that combines education, technology and multidisciplinary care to close gaps in prostate cancer treatment and ensure that advances in precision medicine benefit all populations, especially those at highest risk. Stay tuned for Part 2 with Dr. Oh coming out in late December 2024.

Welcome to Part 2 of a two-part colorectal cancer (CRC) awareness series featuring guest Trevor Maxwell, Founder and CEO of Man Up to Cancer, a non-profit that inspires men to connect and avoid isolation during their cancer journeys. Trevor shares what he’s learned since being diagnosed with stage 4 CRC six years ago, the darkness he faced from mental health struggles and how he ultimately decided to Man Up to Cancer himself.​Precision medicine (i.e. “personalized” medicine) is predicated on the idea that treating the whole person leads to better outcomes. Trevor’s story is evidence as host Karan Cushman takes listeners through his journey with cancer beginning with the less-than-obvious signs that led to his diagnosis at age 41.As husband to his wife, Sarah, and father to two young daughters, Sage and Elsie, Trevor now realizes he has a lot to live for, but in the initial months after he was diagnosed he couldn’t see beyond the devasting news. He says he felt like an outlier—as if all other men with cancer were somehow shouldering the burden without help while he struggled. He later realized that many, many men felt the same way he did, and they were less likely to be accessing support resources than women. Trevor says, “I just realized that something needed to be done for those guys like me who maybe don’t want to participate in a co-ed environment, and maybe if we give them something, maybe if we build something for them where it’s by men going through cancer, for men going through cancer, maybe they’ll open up.” This realization led Trevor to launch Man Up to Cancer. He says, “People who isolate going through cancer have worse medical outcomes, number one, and worse problems with mental health.” He created his non-profit to address those issues head on.Trevor notes that treating the whole person, not just the cancer, can save lives, but men first need to learn to ask for help. This whole-person approach is very much in line with the idea behind precision medicine today in that understanding ourselves and how we operate can optimize our treatment paths. As Trevor says, “For me, mental health was just as important as my physical health going through this [colorectal cancer]. For so many others, it’s the same.” If you’re living with cancer or supporting someone through their journey with cancer, please tune in to Part 2 of our incredibly candid and insightful conversation with Trevor. Not only is he truly inspiring, but he underscores how cancer patients reaching out to their communities and asking for support can sometimes literally be a matter of life or death. And don’t miss the other episodes in our CRC awareness series, which includes Part 1 with Trevor in which he discusses the critical need for better screening for CRC as well as our broader discussion with Dr. Douglas Flora, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Editor-in-Chief of AI and Precision Oncology.Download the full transcript of the episode here (pdf).Like what you hear? Please spread the joy...Share the Precision Medicine Podcast with your friends Leave a review and subscribe in your favorite podcast app!Follow us on Twitter @PMPbyTrapeloFollow us on Linked In at TrapeloHealthInterested in sponsoring the Precision Medicine Podcast?Email our host Karan Cushman: kcushman@trapelohealth.com​Don't miss the next episode...

In this episode of the Precision Medicine Podcast, host Karan Cushman does some time traveling with Dr. Douglas Flora through his lifetime journey with cancer. Dr. Flora is the Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Editor-in-Chief AI in Precision Oncology, a peer-reviewed research journal dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence applications in clinical and precision oncology. Read the full summary and tune in here. And don't forget to subscribe at precisionmedicinepodcast.com to get the latest delivered straight to your in-box.

To mark the beginning of Season 5 of the Precision Medicine Podcast, we are honored to welcome Dr. Debra Patt, Executive Vice President of Texas Oncology. As an oncologist and breast cancer specialist at one of the nation’s largest community cancer practices, Dr. Patt is on the frontlines of oncology care every day. She joins us to discuss how Texas Oncology uses clinical decision-support technologies and health economics and health services research (HEOR) to deliver more consistent precision oncology care to patients at over 200 locations across Texas. Tune in and subscribe to get the latest episode delivered straight to your in-box.

In episode 55 of the Precision Medicine Podcast, we welcome Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, President and CEO of the Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine. Dr. Kingsmore joins us to discuss the extraordinary role whole genome sequencing is playing in prolonging and improving the life of critically ill newborns.Read the full summary and tune in here!

In this Precision Medicine Podcast episode, we are joined by Dr. Belinda King-Kallimanis, Director of Patient-Focused Research at LUNGevity—an organization that brings together research, education and support services for patients and caregivers in the lung cancer community—and Nichelle Stigger, LUNGevity board member and lung cancer survivor. They sat down with us to discuss everything from the importance of patient-friendly language in lung cancer to discrepancies in access to biomarker testing and what LUNGevity is doing to improve the status quo. Read the full summary and listen here.

In this episode, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we speak with Ali Rogin, author of Beat Breast Cancer Like a Boss and award-winning producer of PBS NewsHour. Ali is what is commonly known as a breast cancer previvor, someone who knows they have a mutation that may lead to cancer and takes preventative steps to avoid a diagnosis. With the growth of genetic testing and precision medicine and the ability to isolate genes that can lead to cancer, more and more people may fall into the category of previvors. For instance, women that have the BRCA 1 or 2 mutation, as Rogin does, have a 70% chance of developing breast cancer by the age of 80. Rogin says progress in precision medicine has given these women options they would never have had before, enabling them to make proactive, informed decisions about their future health.

In this episode of the Precision Medicine Podcast, Janine Morales, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Trapelo Health takes us inside the complex world of evidence-based decision making in oncology. Specifically, she dives deeps into some of the nuances in the latest targeted therapy approvals and explains how having access to a real-time knowledge-base and a team of experts that curate current clinical evidence can empower physicians to make more appropriate decisions at the point of care. Read the full summary here and subscribe to join us in the advancement of precision medicine.

Bill Bonello, president of NeoGenomics Informatics, and Clynt Taylor, president of Trapelo Health, discuss challenges in precision medicine and how evidence-based technologies can help deliver more appropriate, value-based care to more patients.As a subtext to the discussion is the recent acquisition of Trapelo Health, creator of clinical decision-making platform Trapelo, by NeoGenomics Informatics, provider of bioinformatics services. This acquisition is aimed at improving access to precision medicine testing and treatment. Read the full summary and learn more about Trapelo here.