Pain Awareness Month: A Dual Perspective on Navigating Cancer Pain With Richa Thakur, MD, and Megan-Claire Chase

In honor of Pain Awareness Month this September, Oncology Data Advisor Fellows Forum member Richa Thakur, MD, and Editorial Board member Megan-Claire Chase sat down for an enlightening dialogue between clinician and survivor. Dr. Thakur and Ms. Chase bridge the gap and share their respective experiences with treating cancer patients’ pain and what it was like experiencing pain as a cancer survivor, including the following discussion topics:

• Dealing with pain as a patient both pre– and post–cancer treatment
• How to effectively communicate as a patient to your doctor and as a doctor to your patient
• The challenges with working through unmanaged pain and how this affects both your physical and mental health
• How to navigate through the barriers that pain causes
• The reality of advocating for your patients and for yourself
• And more!

About Dr. Thakur and Ms. Chase

Richa Thakur, MD, is both a Palliative Care Physician and Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s in chemistry, medical school at Texas A&M, residency in Internal Medicine, and a fellowship in Palliative Care at Zucker School of Medicine. Her research interests include improving quality of life in patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies.

Megan-Claire Chase is a patient advocate and the Breast Cancer Program Director for SHARE Cancer Support. As a survivor of stage IIA invasive lobular breast cancer, Ms. Chase became involved in patient advocacy work after completing her treatment. She is a prolific writer, blogger, and public speaker, having been featured in the New York Times, in People Magazine, and on PBS’s “Beyond Cancer” episode of “Stories from the Stage.” Her story and work are documented in her blog “Life on the Cancer Train.”