Suzanne Garner isn’t cured. She’s also not acutely sick. She lives in the same grey zone as millions of other survivors. 

Suzanne, who lives in Encinitas, Calif., was diagnosed with breast cancer on her very first mammogram several years ago. The report was largely clean though it highlighted some dense breast tissue. It was the brief line about dense breast tissue that made one doctor stop, look again, and order a breast MRI. Soon, Suzanne was in active treatment for cancer. 

At the end of her treatments, she says she got brave enough to ask “Am I cured? And what’s my risk of recurrence?” 

The number was much higher than she expected, near 30%. She was floored. 

In time, like a lot of survivors, Suzanne soon went on a crusade to figure out how to lower that number. She examined lifestyle factors, nutrition and exercise. She met with medical experts and spent nights researching online. Eventually, she stumbled on a platform called Outcomes4Me. 

The site follows your diagnosis and treatment, collecting information along the way. Patients can even upload and share their medical records, though that depends on your own privacy tolerance. 

For survivors, the biggest benefit might be access to clinical trials. Given it has your information, Outcomes4Me can alert you days, weeks, years after treatment if there is a clinical trial for you. The Mayo Clinic and other hospitals have similar offerings though they don’t actively alert as easily. 

“A year into my survivorship, I got an alert that there was a clinical trial I was a match for. It wound up being a great fit and we got to add it to my endocrine therapy,” says Suzanne, who is now seven years into survivorship. 

Recently, data from her clinical trial showed that the drug drove down her rate of recurrence. 

The creation of Outcomes4Me was largely focused on those who were just diagnosed or in active treatment. The system integrates with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, helping you get a personalized treatment plan that reflects what an oncologist at a top cancer center would give you. 

This is particularly helpful in more rural parts of the country or for those who feel they need another opinion about their treatment plan. 

Over time, as more customers have moved from acute treatment to fewer or even no treatment, the company has turned its focus on how to help survivors reduce the risk of recurrence.

Clinical trials have been a major focus. 

“We make people aware of what is out there to help. There is journaling, symptom tracking, and clinical trial matching. We were not created originally for survivorship but we have evolved in what we do,” says Brenna Fitzgerald, vice president of marketing & communications at Outcomes4Me. 

For those uncomfortable with handing over their medical history, they can instead answer a robust questionnaire, choosing which questions to answer and which to not. 

Brenna says that patients are the company’s highest priority and it doesn’t take data privacy responsibility lightly. Outcomes4Me uses security and encryption technology that meets the requirements under HIPAA to safeguard member data and protect member information. 

The database is used by survivors looking for clinical trials. But it is also used by hospitals and researchers in recruiting the right people for their clinical trials.

The importance of clinical trials can’t be overstated. Earlier this year, I sat down with Dr. Karen Knudsen, one of the most important women in cancer. Dr. Knudsen has run hospitals and cancer centers, was the chief executive of the American Cancer Society, and is now CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. 

She repeatedly brought up the surge in clinical trials for survivors as one of the most important things I should be telling readers in this newsletter.

As for Suzanne, her experience with Outcomes4Me changed her life. After a career in financial services, she left her job and joined the company.

“Almost every patient faces their own mortality and thinks about how they are spending their days. I just wanted more meaning,” she says. 

Since joining the firm, she’s most proud of growing the company’s expert series. Outcomes4Me brings in oncologists, nutritionists, radiologists, and other professionals at top centers to answer questions from Outcomes4Me patient members. For 30 minutes or longer, these professionals answer specific questions from patients who are unable to be seen at a place like Memorial Sloan Kettering or Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. 

“The feedback we get from patients and caregivers is about how it has unlocked so much information they can bring back to their doctors or help with long-term side effects and management,” she says.

A staggering figure came out last month: One in ten Americans has been diagnosed with cancer in their life, according to a Gallup poll.

The response from the news media has been smart and direct. Some outlets focused on the good news of more diagnosis and better treatments extending lives. Others reported on the bad news of higher rates of cancer. And a third group focused on how this growing group is straining the healthcare system.

But the reason After Treatment exists is for the fourth reason and it should be repeated. Your odds of getting cancer are higher than they’ve ever been and you need the tools to still lead the life you deserve after that happens.

If there’s any subject you want me to take on to help, please reach out.