NEW YORK, N.Y., August 3, 2020 – Award-winning television host, executive producer and anchor, Meredith Vieira, along with five leading breast cancer patient advocacy organizations and healthcare professionals, are joining Find Your MBC Voice — an initiative from Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) that empowers women and men living with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) to take active roles in making a shared decision with their doctor about their treatment options. Find Your MBC Voice aims to help people living with metastatic breast cancer have more informed conversations with their doctors by providing a Treatment Discussion Guide. The interactive guide includes information on treatment options, goals and questions that people can take to their appointments.
Vieira, who received critical acclaim for hosting The Today Show and The View, is reinforcing this important message in remembrance of her maternal grandmother, who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the 1970s and later passed away from the disease.
“When my grandmother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she was overwhelmed and felt scared to speak up and ask the questions she needed to. My grandmother was not alone in feeling this way,” said Vieira. “Thousands of women and men diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer are faced with navigating the many complexities of this disease. I’m proud to be a part of Find Your MBC Voice so I can help those facing this diagnosis feel empowered to advocate for their health.”
Metastatic breast cancer, also known as stage 4 breast cancer, is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.1 It is the most advanced stage of the disease, for which there is no cure.2 A 2014 in-office study conducted by Pfizer revealed that conversations in the doctor’s office were largely driven by the oncologists resulting in people with metastatic breast cancer offering minimal input and asking few questions. Only half of the people with metastatic breast cancer who participated in the study believed they had a voice in their treatment options.3
A metastatic breast cancer diagnosis can be one of the scariest moments of a person’s life, and without the right resources, it is difficult for people diagnosed with the disease to ask the right questions and get the information they need.
“Over the past decade, advances in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer have allowed oncologists to individualize care to meet each patient’s needs,” said Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a practicing Medical Oncologist specializing in breast cancer. “While each patient's doctor knows what treatments are appropriate, only the person living with the disease can communicate what their goals are. We need to continue to help women and men with metastatic breast cancer feel comfortable discussing their wishes and needs upfront.”
As part of Find Your MBC Voice, Pfizer is launching WMBC Radio, the first streaming radio station for people with metastatic breast cancer. Across twelve episodes, Vieira and Comen sit down with advocates and healthcare professionals within the metastatic breast cancer community to discuss navigating the complexities of this disease, hear how people can better manage their disease and work with their doctors to evaluate the treatment options that are most appropriate for them. WMBC Radio encourages people to visit FindYourMBCVoice.com to explore information and resources on living with metastatic breast cancer or how to support someone who is.
“Pfizer is committed to working hand in hand with the community to provide resources and support to empower people with breast cancer so they can live their best lives despite their disease,” said Andy Schmeltz, Global President, Pfizer Oncology. “Through Find Your MBC Voice, our goal is to foster more open conversations between people living with metastatic breast cancer and their healthcare providers, with the aim to ultimately result in better outcomes.”
About Find Your MBC Voice
Pfizer, along with members of the metastatic breast cancer (mBC) community, developed Find Your MBC Voice to offer resources to help people living with, or recently diagnosed with, mBC find their voices and feel empowered to have an informed conversation with their doctor about their treatment options. Partners include BreastCancer.org, METAvivor, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), Metastatic Breast Cancer Network (MBCN) and SHARE. Those living with mBC and their loved ones can visit FindYourMBCVoice.com for resources, including an interactive discussion guide to help encourage more informed conversations with doctors.
About Pfizer Oncology
At Pfizer Oncology, we are committed to advancing medicines wherever we believe we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of people living with cancer. Today, we have an industry-leading portfolio of 23 approved innovative cancer medicines and biosimilars across more than 30 indications, including breast, genitourinary, colorectal, blood and lung cancers, as well as melanoma.
Pfizer Inc.: Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products, including innovative medicines and vaccines. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.pfizer.com and follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer and @Pfizer_News, LinkedIn, YouTube and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer.
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Pfizer Media Contact:
Amy Rose
+1 (212) 733-7410
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