Sidelining cancer treatment's side effects through exercise, nutrition, prehab and rehab
Release Date: 07/15/2026
Sherlock Holmes in a lab coat solves two molecular mysteries at Fred Hutch
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
Dr. Jeremy Hollis talks with John Higgins about the two molecular mysteries that he solved on the way to earning his doctorate degree at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. His solution to the first case provided insight into the evolution of the human immune system and opened new possibilities for drugs and therapies when cell signaling goes awry. His solution to the second showed researchers a new way to trace the evolution of life’s most ancient molecular machines when genomic sequences become unrecognizable using standard methods. Takeaways: In just six...
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What you need to know about hereditary cancer risk with Dr. Rachel Yung
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
In this episode of Bench to Bedside and Beyond, Fred Hutch’s Diane Mapes talks with clinical researcher and breast cancer oncologist Dr. Rachel Yung, co-director of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Clinic at Fred Hutch, about hereditary cancer risk, genetic testing for hereditary cancers and ways to reduce your risk if you are told you have a pathogenic variant. Key takeaways: Inherited cancers seen most often include breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. How BRCA1 and BRCA2-related risks compare with other genetic variants such as ATM and CHEK2. What...
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In the Lab with Dr. Matthew Ross: making hand-held science with a 3D printer
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
Dr. Matthew Ross talks with John Higgins about the problems he has solved for Fred Hutch researchers using a donated 3D printer. Ross, the communications liaison for Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Basic Sciences Division, used the printer to fabricate small parts, make customized tools and create scale models of life’s smallest molecular machines. Scientists and aspiring scientists can hold these models in their hands to see — and feel — their shape to infer their function. Key takeaways Dr. Matthew Ross uses a donated 3D printer to make spare parts, customized tools and...
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A More Precise Way to Understand Tubo-Ovarian Cancer
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
In this episode of Bench to Bedside and Beyond, Diane Mapes talks with Fred Hutch Cancer Center and UW Medicine clinical researcher and gynecologic oncologist Dr. Elizabeth Swisher about research that may refine how scientists understand and treat tubo-ovarian cancer — and potentially help guide targeted treatment for some people with triple-negative breast cancer. Swisher explains why many cancers long called ovarian cancer begin in the fallopian tubes, why “tubo-ovarian cancer” is a more accurate term and how researchers are studying tumors’ current biological...
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Living with the long-term effects of prostate cancer, from sexual to spiritual
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
In this episode of Bench to Bedside and Beyond, we talk to a 25-year prostate cancer survivor and the director of the new sexual health clinic at Fred Hutch about why it’s important to include sexual health in the survivorship conversation. Prostate cancer survivor James DeLong and Kelly Nelson, director of Fred Hutch’s new sexual health clinic, discuss how a cancer diagnosis can wreak havoc on a person’s sex life—and how people no longer need to suffer in silence. Key takeaways: The side effects of cancer treatment can make having a healthy sex life...
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In the Lab with Dr. Rashmi Mishra: Shapeshifting cancer into a more treatable form
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
John Higgins interviews Dr. Rashmi Mishra, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Hsieh Lab at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, about how aggressive prostate cancer shapeshifts from a form that is treatable with drugs to a more lethal form that is much less treatable. In a recent study, she and her colleagues found potential ways to reverse that trick, forcing tumor cells to shapeshift back into the more treatable form. Their discovery opens a new line of attack against aggressive prostate cancer, as well as breast cancer and possibly other cancers. Key Takeaways: Prostate...
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After cancer treatment, emotional and spiritual health is key to maintaining equilibrium
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
In this episode of Bench to Bedside and Beyond, Bonnie Rochman talks to a bone marrow transplant survivor and the director of psychiatry at Fred Hutch. Leukemia survivor and bone marrow transplant recipient Nicole Sandburg and Jesse Fann, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Psychiatry and Psychology, discuss the ways a cancer diagnosis can upend emotional health and how mental health services including mindfulness can help patients cope. Key takeaways: Dealing with cancer can have profound emotional effects that outlast the treatment. Recovery requires more than physical healing....
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In the Lab with Dr. Lucas Sullivan: let cancer eat cake
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
Dr. Lucas Sullivan, a cancer metabolism expert at Fred Hutch Cancer Center talks with John Higgins about a new study showing that cancers driven by a specific mutation crave a nutrient so much that eating too much of it can be lethal. Healthy cells aren’t prone to stuffing themselves with this nutrient. That difference presents an opportunity for precision oncology: we can supplement a patient’s diet to force-feed tumors the nutrient while sparing healthy cells. Key takeaways: A recent study by Dr. Lucas Sullivan, a cancer metabolism expert, finds that feeding NRF2-mutated...
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Sidelining cancer treatment's side effects through exercise, nutrition, prehab and rehab
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
Cancer survivorship is about far more than finishing treatment. In this episode of Bench to Bedside and Beyond, Diane Mapes speaks with prostate cancer survivor and advocate Marty Chakoian and cancer rehabilitation specialist Dr. Hanna Hunter about the physical, emotional and practical realities of life after a cancer diagnosis. Together, they discuss treatment side effects, the value of patient advocacy and support groups, advances in less toxic therapies, and how rehabilitation, exercise and supportive care services help patients maintain quality of life throughout the cancer continuum. Key...
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Beyond the Five-Year Myth: How Survivorship Care Helps Cancer Patients Live Well
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
In this episode of From Bench to Bedside and Beyond, host Diane Mapes talks with Dr. Vidhya Nair, medical director of adult cancer survivorship at Fred Hutch, about what truly happens after active cancer treatment ends. Together, they explore late and long-term side effects, fear of recurrence, and the emotional whiplash many patients feel when treatment stops but symptoms and worries do not. Dr. Nair also explains how Fred Hutch’s evolving survivorship program—from embedded care in disease clinics to specialized services in rehab, sexual health, and integrative medicine—helps survivors...
info_outlineCancer survivorship is about far more than finishing treatment. In this episode of Bench to Bedside and Beyond, Diane Mapes speaks with prostate cancer survivor and advocate Marty Chakoian and cancer rehabilitation specialist Dr. Hanna Hunter about the physical, emotional and practical realities of life after a cancer diagnosis. Together, they discuss treatment side effects, the value of patient advocacy and support groups, advances in less toxic therapies, and how rehabilitation, exercise and supportive care services help patients maintain quality of life throughout the cancer continuum.
Key Takeaways
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Cancer care is increasingly focused on quality of life, not just survival. Modern oncology aims to treat the whole person, balancing effective cancer treatment with physical function, emotional well-being, independence and long-term survivorship outcomes. Both Chakoian and Hunter emphasize that living well during and after treatment is now a core goal of cancer care.
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Patients play a critical role in treatment decisions. Chakoian stresses the importance of shared decision-making, encouraging patients to understand their diagnosis, know their personal values and communicate openly with their care teams. The best treatment plan is often the one that balances medical effectiveness with the quality-of-life outcomes that matter most to the individual patient.
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Supportive care and rehabilitation can start before treatment begins. Dr. Hunter explains that rehabilitation services including physical therapy, lymphedema care, speech therapy and exercise programs can help patients before, during and after treatment. Early intervention can improve resilience, reduce side effects and help patients recover more quickly.
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Exercise and community support are powerful survivorship tools. Research increasingly shows that physical activity can improve function, quality of life and even cancer outcomes. At the same time, support groups provide practical advice, emotional support and a sense of community that helps people navigate the challenges of cancer and its aftermath.