The University of Kansas Health System reports an increase in the number of COVID patients over the weekend. 22 with the active virus are being treated, up from 18 on Friday. Only three of them are vaccinated. Ten patients are in the ICU, up from eight on Friday. Five are on ventilators, the same as Friday. 23 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID but are out of the acute infection phase, the same as Friday. That’s a total of 45 patients, up from 43 on Friday.
On today’s Morning Medical Update, Dr. Anne O’Dea, medical oncologist at The University of Kansas Health System, joined us along with Lauryn Werner, KU Med Student, to share a unique story about how the student became part of her own cancer research.
Lauryn Werner was a 29-year-old student at KU Medical Center conducting research on breast cancer. But while doing a routine self-exam, she discovered a lump on her breast which was diagnosed as triple negative breast cancer. Suddenly the cancer researcher became a cancer patient. Here’s her story. She enrolled in a clinical trial which combined chemotherapy with immunotherapy and is glad she did because she had a complete response to the treatment. She also discovered she carries the hereditary BRCA breast cancer gene, so she had a double mastectomy with breast reconstructive surgery. Because her younger sister was also at risk from the BRCA gene, she too had a double mastectomy. Lauryn is doing well today, but admits it was “earth shattering” to get a cancer diagnosis, especially at her young age. It was even harder going through treatment during the pandemic when nobody was allowed to be with her. She was surprised at how well she coped with the physical symptoms, but says it was a mental struggle, helped by a team of mental health professionals at The KU Cancer Center. She also found comfort from a local support group called Gilda’s Club. She advises everyone to know your body, do monthly exams, and don’t wait to seek medical attention if you find something unusual because the sooner breast cancer is caught the better the chance for a cure. She believes her experience will ultimately make her a better cancer doctor as she’ll know what her patients are going through.
Dr. O’Dea was pleased to let Lauryn know during the show that thanks to her, and all the participants in the trial, the treatment she received is now approved as the standard of care, which made Lauryn excited she could help. The doctor said triple negative breast cancer is a subtype that often affects younger women in their 20’s and 30’s, especially those found to have the BRCA gene. Most women in that age group have not yet begun yearly mammogram screenings, so it’s especially important to know your family history and check yourself every month. All breast cancer, she says, is curable if caught early enough. But many women who skipped mammograms during the pandemic are now finding they have a more advanced stage of breast cancer. She discussed the role diet plays in the disease and says eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, minimizing alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy body weight, and exercising five hours a week will lower the risk of breast cancer. She points out that men can also get breast cancer and urges them to know their family history and do the same monthly exams. She says all of today’s advanced treatments are thanks to “brave women like Lauryn,” and tells her, “I’m just amazed that maybe someday you might prescribe this treatment for a patient and know that you very much were a part of making that possible.”
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, expects that if local governments lift mask mandates too soon, COVID cases will go back up. That’s because people won’t maintain proper social distancing and not enough people are vaccinated. He also advises now is the time to get your flu shot and reminds everyone that it’s safe to get both COVID and flu vaccines at the same time. He says there’s been no discussion yet on boosters for those under 18 but thinks the vaccine for kids 5-11 will be approved in the next few weeks. He warns about the misinformation campaign that the vaccinations cause death. He calls it, “Absolutely untrue,” and says all the data shows the vaccines are extremely safe. He points to the latest data from the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showing those vaccinated, in all age groups, had a reduced rate of mortality compared to the unvaccinated.
Just before closing, the crew from the Morning Medical Update shared some exciting news. You’ve probably seen several of the “Sunnye Says” stories we’ve shared during the course of the pandemic, showing different ways of coping through the eyes of a seven-year-old named Sunnye. The Sunnye Says video showing how school will look different during the pandemic won the Midwest Regional Emmy Award for best story in the Education/Schools - Short Form Content category. Congratulations to all!
Tuesday, October 26 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. We are joined by Dr. Amber Schmidtke, chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of St. Mary. During the COVID pandemic, she rose to acclaim as a science communicator, able to effectively translate complex public health data in ways that were meaningful for the general public through a widely read newsletter and podcast.
NOTE: Journalists should rejoin the Morning Medical Update at 8am as doctors are growing too busy again for individual interview requests. Please bring questions or send to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu until further notice. Thanks for all you do and helping to keep the community safe with your reporting.
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
The meeting is available by Zoom, both video and by phone. To join the Zoom Meeting by video, click https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone dial-in Participants: For those without Zoom, call 1-312-626-6799, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
The feed is also available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all.
Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.