The Impact of Plants & Nature-Based Supplements on Breast Cancer Treatment

Plants have an important role in the discovery of active treatments in cancer. There are four classes of plant-derived anticancer agents in the market today discovered over the last century, including the vinca alkaloids (vinblastine, vincristine and vindesine), the epipodophyllotoxins (etoposide and teniposide), the taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) and the camptothecin derivatives (camptotecin and irinotecan). Through this talk we will discuss how they were discovered and what clinical implications they have. We will also touch on the variety of plant-based compounds that have promising implications for our cancer patients but need further study.

We will also explore plants that are used as supplements for the treatment of menopausal symptoms (phytoestrogens), as well as those used for general health maintenance (garlic, ginseng, ginko biloba, et al). Their impact on the body will be explained, and supplement management in the perioperative period will be discussed.

With Jennifer Manders and Julie Specht

Jennifer B. Manders, MD, FACS, is a board-certified general surgeon fellowship-trained in breast surgery. Her practice is wholly focused on the care of patients with benign and malignant breast disease. She is a graduate of Rosalind Franklin University/The Chicago Medical School and trained in General Surgery at Rush University Medical Center/Cook County Hospital combined program. She then completed a one-year fellowship in Breast Surgical Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Dr. Manders has been named a peer-nominated “Top Doc” every year since 2007 with Cincinnati Magazine. She is also involved in the Medical Staff Administration for The Christ Hospital Health Network. She has three children, and her husband is an ENT/Head and Neck Surgeon at The Christ Hospital.

Dr. Julie Specht grew up in New York and completed her undergraduate studies at Binghamton University (Binghamton, NY), graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science. She earned her medical degree from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Specht completed her internship, residency, and fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia University). She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (Hematology and Oncology subspecialties).
Dr. Specht is currently the Medical Director of Operations for the Oncology Service line, Medical Director for the Breast Cancer Program, and serves as Vice Chair for the Physician Liaison Committee.
When not with patients, she enjoys exercising, reading, and spending time with her family exploring Ohio. She has a beautiful, blended family of five boys, two dogs and a cat that keeps her busy, particularly during youth baseball season!

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