In the last weeks and months, individuals at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and my community have been preparing for the 2024 PMC.  The energy is exciting and last week, when we were visiting Cape Cod, I started my training.  I plan to complete a 25-mile virtual ride this month.  Last year, I completed my PMC ride in late September when the weather was cool and breezy. 

This will be my third Pan-Mass Challenge.  In 2023, I rode to support the Embrace program, which is led by Drs. Nancy Lin and Sarah Sammons. The Embrace program supports our patients with metastatic breast cancer and helps clinical providers to identify the best treatment for patients with advanced disease.  The Embrace program is essential to our clinical trial efforts at DFCI. One effort that Drs. Lin and Sammons are leading is to develop a cohort of patients with oligometastatic disease where the breast tumors have responded exceptionally well to systemic and locoregional therapies, and patients are cured from metastatic breast cancer. I am eager to see the findings of their work since these results will likely enhance our understanding of tumor biology and inform counseling and care in the future.

This year I will be riding to fundraise for the breast cancer genetics research. I am currently collaborating with a medical oncologist from Spain, Dr. Adela Rodriguez-Hernandez, who is completing a 2-year research fellowship with us at DFCI in cancer genetics and breast oncology. If you come to campus on a Tuesday, you may meet her!  With Drs. Judy Garber and Huma Rana, Dr. Rodriguez-Hernandez and I have many ambitious plans. One goal over the next 2 years is to develop gene-focused cohorts including individuals with a hereditary breast cancer gene and a breast cancer diagnosis.