IBC Survivor and UD Researchers Join Forces to Defeat a Rare Form of Cancer

On this week’s episode, we spoke to Terry Arnold, Dr. Angela Alexander, and Sanjukta Barkataki who are focusing their efforts on breast cancer research. In particular, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) where “cancer cells block lymph vessels in the skin of the breast.”

Alexander and Barkataki, who have partnered with Ms. Arnold, talk to us about their individual breast cancer research and explain why IBC is such an underfunded area of research.

Arnold shares her story of continual misdiagnoses where her IBC was mistaken as an infection. Symptoms of IBC include a swollen and hot to touch skin on the breast. Arnold explains that any abnormalities on the breast should be addressed. Arnold says that “many women have to fight for diagnosis” so she encourages patients to advocate for themselves and ask for an MRI.

Listen to the interview:

Terry Arnold, Dr. Angela Alexander, and Sanjukta Barkataki, recorded March 13, 2018. First aired May 3,2018.
30.00
57.6 MB

About Our Guests:

Terry Arnold, Sanjucta Barktaki, and Angela Alexander
Terry Arnold, Sanjucta Barktaki, and Angela Alexander (L. to r.)

Terry Arnold is the Founder of The IBC Network Foundation and a survivor of Triple Negative Inflammatory Breast cancer (TNBC). Arnold was misdiagnosed and then ultimately diagnosed with Stage 3, Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). Arnold began the IBC Network Foundation to inform women about the rare form of breast cancer and to encourage additional IBC research. Currently, Arnold is an IBC survivor and is partnering with Dr. Angela Alexander and Sanjukta Barkataki in the fight against IBC. 

Dr. Angela Alexander is a member of the University of Delaware’s class of 2004 where she graduated as a Dean’s Scholar. Dr. Alexander successfully completed a molecular carcinogenesis Ph.D. program at the University of Texas Health Science Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center. During her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Alexander focused her studies on Inflammatory Breast Cancer while participating in a translational research program. Currently, Dr. Anderson is a Clinical Studies Coordinator in MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Department of Breast Medical Oncology, where she manages clinical trials for Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

The day after recording this interview, Sanjukta Barkataki defended her Ph.D dissertation at the University of Delaware’s College of Health Sciences where she has focused her research on inflammatory breast cancer skin metastasis. Previously, Barkataki has gained her Bachelor of Science from Assam Agricultural University in India and her Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Guelph in Canada. Baraktaki speaks more about her experience as a Ph.D. student under the guidance of Dr. Kenneth L. van Golen in our interview.

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Credits:

Richard Gordon: co-host, co-producer, audio engineer

Vanessa Young: co-host, co-producer, photographer

Rachel Evans: webpage author and editor

Image from the IBC Network