Breast Cancer: Prevention, Types, Symptoms and Treatment Options with Dr. Zia Poonja, MD

Dr. Zia Poonja BSc. MD is an Oncologist practicing in British Columbia, Canada. This interview focuses on the latest advances in breast cancer prevention and diagnostics, (including genetic factors detectable through screening), as well as how breast cancer is classified and what treatment options are currently available.

Dr. Poonja's passion lies in preventing diseases before they arise. He founded a company called Healthspan in 2021 to offer patients the latest insights in the preventative medicine landscape which we discuss briefly during the interview.

Dr. Poonja completed his undergraduate and medical training at the University of Saskatchewan. He received his residency in Internal Medicine from the University of Alberta and a Medical Oncology fellowship from the University of British Columbia. He has been practicing oncology at BC Cancer - Vancouver Island Center for the past 8 years. He is actively involved in clinical trials, research and medical education. He loves being a proud father of two children, discussing health optimization and powerlifting.

It is my hope that you come away from this interview feeling empowered to better evaluate your own personal risk and implement effective measures that will reduce your risk for developing breast cancer.

There is so much we can do to reduce our risk, and in my opinion this preventative approach is not discussed nearly enough in the current healthcare landscape. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did!

Please share this interview widely. Knowledge is power, and lives could be saved from hearing this important message.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Personal risk and breast cancer screening
02:00 Dr. Poonja’s clinical work and research focus
05:00 Preventative measures as an anomaly in healthcare
06:06 Are breast cancer rates increasing?
07:23 Evolution of mammography as a diagnostic screening tool
08:40 Modifiable and Non-modifiable risk factors for breast cancer
09:30 BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations as a risk factor for breast cancer
09:45 Family history as a risk factor for breast cancer
10:39 Lifestyle and dietary risk factors for breast cancer
11:15 How often should women have a mammogram? (Current recommendations and reasoning)
14:20 Types of breast cancer and classification
17:55 Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations
20:55 ctDNA cancer detection through blood tests - current landscape
22:57 Immunotherapy applications for breast cancer
24:13 How immunotherapy works in the body
25:39 How Alcohol acts as a carcinogen
29:30 Primary prevention and therapeutics
31:55 Top signs and symptoms of breast cancer
33:12 Is there a link between breast cancer and ovarian cancer?
33:46 Post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and breast cancer
36:27 Soy as a phytoestrogen and breast cancer risk
37:10 Action items to prevent future cancer diagnoses
39:13 Breast density as a risk for breast cancer

Friendly Pharmacy 5 is sponsored by Heart Pharmacy. Sign-up for their newsletter HERE! www.heartpharmacy.com/newsletter.

RESOURCES:

Dr. Poonja's Passion Project HEALTHSPAN: https://www.myhealthspan.co

The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (NIH): https://bcrisktool.cancer.gov

CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY: https://cancer.ca/en/


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#breastcancerawareness #breastcancerprevention #cancerprevention #breastcancersymptoms