Why “Taking It Easy” Could Be the Worst Cancer Advice Ever

Episode 7 - Dr. Jay Harness

Joelle Kaufman: Today I am talking with a surgeon who spent 35 years cutting out cancer and then discovered something that might prevent patients from needing his scalpel in the first place. My guest, Dr. Jay Harness, didn't just perform mastectomies. He created the framework for the first integrated breast cancer centers, bringing together oncology, surgery, radiation, patient support teams, and more into one building. And then he went from advocating for patients to get coordinated care, to advocating for them to get their hearts pumping during chemo. Here's the kicker. He stumbled into this world completely by accident eight years ago after a very prestigious career. He realized the medical community had been ignoring decades of life-changing research hidden in sports medicine journals.

Dr. Jay Harness, welcome to Kicking Cancer's Ass. And is it all right if I call you Jay?

Jay Harness: Well, Joelle, I'm privileged to be here and absolutely, you know, through all that 35 plus years of being a breast cancer surgeon, I always walked in the room, my patient square in the eye and said, hi, I am Jay.

Joelle Kaufman: I think that humanizes the situation. I think as a patient, I have really appreciated when my doctors did that too,

Jay Harness: I'm thrilled to be with you today and to share with your audience importance of the world, as you said that I stumbled into seven, eight years ago called exercise oncology. Obviously the word exercise makes sense. The word oncology makes sense, most of us in the oncology world. unaware of 35 plus years of clinical trials that have clearly unquestionably demonstrated the importance of exercise for cancer patients right at the time of their diagnosis, their active treatment, and particularly into long-term survivorship.