Overcoming The Delusion of Immortality: A Reporter’s Journey Through Cancer and Genetics

In the first episode of Genetics for Healthcare: A Podcast for Patients, Emmy Award-winning journalist Steve Pickett of CBS Dallas-Ft. Worth shares his experience with back-to-back cancer diagnoses that threatened his life and career. Rome and Steve discuss genetic factors and risks associated with prostate cancer, emphasizing the importance of knowing your family history.

Rome explains how inherited genetic mutations—especially in families with a history of prostate, breast, or ovarian cancer—can increase cancer risk.

This conversation highlights the need for routine doctor visits and screenings, including PSA tests and digital rectal exams, particularly for Black men, who face higher risks of diagnosis, advanced-stage disease, and death. The episode also explores genetic counseling and how genomic testing, including circulating tu ...