As one of the leading causes of death in the United States and around the world, cancer is an extremely relevant topic and a frequent health concern. Fortunately, the amount of information available to healthcare professionals and the general public on what cancer is, and on precautions that can be taken to reduce the risk of developing cancer, continues to increase. Recently, breakthroughs in cancer research have helped improve existing treatment options and even led to the development of new methods for treating certain types of cancer.

In this episode, join MSO at UCLA president Laila Khorasani, writers Catherine Beaudin and Robin Fong, and guest speaker Kevin Fong—a radiation therapist at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco—as they discuss what cancer is and steps everyone can take to help prevent cancer. They also discuss some of the available treatment options including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a rapidly emerging field of cancer treatment called immunotherapy.

If you’re interested in learning more about the articles and topics we covered, you can do so at our website, www.msoatucla.org!

Cover art: Yea-Lyn Pak, Media Director

Audio editing: Jingyao (Bella) Chen, Editor

Speakers: Laila Khorasani, President. Catherine Beaudin, Writer. Robin Fong, Writer.

Sources used in this episode:

Article on improving cancer immunotherapy by MSO writer Anjali Roy: https://www.msoatucla.org/activating-the-killer-in-stem-cells-to-improve-cancer-immunotherapy.html

Article on detecting cancer early by MSO writer Annie Liang: https://www.msoatucla.org/a-cure-for-cancer-prevention-and-early-prognosis.html

Understanding cancer: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer

Chemotherapy as a cancer treatment option: https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/chemotherapy/how-is-chemotherapy-used-to-treat-cancer.html

Chemotherapy to treat cancer: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/chemotherapy

Immunotherapy to treat cancer: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy

Guidelines for the early detection of cancer: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/find-cancer-early/american-cancer-society-guidelines-for-the-early-detection-of-cancer.html

Healthy choices that can help prevent cancer: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/prevention/other.htm