Photo courtesy of STOCK

MIAMI – Baptist HealthTalk Breast cancer and heart disease may seem like separate health concerns, but they’re more connected than many women realize, and for Black women, understanding that connection is especially important.

In this Baptist HealthTalk episode, host Sandra Peebles speaks with cardiologist, Dr. Heather Johnson, and breast surgical oncologist, Dr. Kerry Ann McDonald, about the shared risks of breast cancer and heart disease, why Black women face higher rates of cardiovascular disease and more aggressive forms of breast cancer, and what a mammogram can reveal about heart health.

They also explain how certain cancer treatments can affect the heart, the warning signs of blood clots and how women can protect their breast and heart health before, during and after treatment.

Host: Sandra Peebles Award-Winning Journalist Guests: Heather John son, M.D. Cardiologist and Director of Preventive Cardiology for Women’s Services Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care Kerry-Ann McDonald, M.D. Breast Surgical Oncologist Baptist Health Cancer Care Link to the Baptist Health Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= nIKZQX44L9M

0:00 Introduction
1:14 The connection between breast and heart health

2:25 Heart disease risks for Black women

3:21 Knowing your heart health numbers

4:16 Breast cancer mortality disparities

5:39 Breast cancer diagnosis rates

6:27 Breast cancer and cardiovascular risk

7:36 What mammograms reveal about heart health

8:53 Understanding breast arterial calcifications

10:01 Coordinating breast and heart care

11:02 How breast cancer treatments affect the heart

12:54 Blood clot risks during cancer treatment

14:24 Recognizing dangerous blood clot symptoms
15:01 When cardiologists join cancer care
15:50 Monitoring heart health during treatment

16:53 Breast cancer screening recommendations

19:02 Early risk assessments for Black women

19:20 Long term heart health after cancer

20:51 The importance of everyday physical activity