Ep
70
70
How An Oncologist Is Changing Sarcoma Care for Young Adults | EP 70
Jul 15, 2025
With
Dr. Venkataraman
51:25
How An Oncologist Is Changing Sarcoma Care for Young Adults | EP 70
What happens when cancer strikes in your 20s or 30s? How do you navigate life-changing diagnoses during the most formative years of your life? In this powerful episode of All Talk Oncology, Kenny Perkins speaks with Dr. Venkataraman, a young adult cancer specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who is deeply committed to caring for patients with rare cancers like sarcoma.
From the emotional trauma of delayed diagnoses to the complexities of survivorship, Dr. V shares how he supports patients not just through treatment—but through rediscovering their lives afterward.
Key topics discussed:
- Why young adults are often diagnosed late—and what we can do about it
- How sarcoma differs from other cancers and why it's so misunderstood
- Treatment challenges: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and their impact
- Why survivorship care is just as important as treatment
- The mental health struggles cancer patients rarely talk about
- The role of personalized care: meeting patients where they are
- Advances in sarcoma research, clinical trials, and treatment protocols
- Empowering patients to take charge of their own journey
- Creative outlets for physicians: how Dr. V uses reflective writing to process the emotional weight of oncology
