Signs and Symptoms of Blood Cancers

Blood cancers (or hematologic cancers) are diseases that originate in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow or cells within in the immune system. There are three main types of blood cancers: Leukemia: cancer that originates in the body’s blood-forming tissues, such as the bone marrow. The disease causes large numbers of myeloid blood cells … Read more

Immunotherapy for Blood Cancers: What’s New?

Immunotherapy for cancer has made some of its biggest inroads against hematologic malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma, with treatments such as checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapies producing long-lasting remissions in some patients. But there’s broad agreement that the potential of such therapies has only begun to be tapped and that combining immunotherapy drugs … Read more

Research Update: Scientists Present Novel Ways of Treating Blood Cancers and Diseases

Dana-Farber scientists presented an abundance of new research at the 60th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, held December 1-4 in San Diego. Their research spanned the gamut of hematological diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndrome—as well as treatment modalities, such as stem cell transplantation and CAR T-cell therapy. A … Read more

Doctor and Nurse Team Up for Blood Cancers Support Group

By Ronni Gordon When my year of isolation ended after a stem cell transplant at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center in 2003, I looked for a blood cancer support group near my home in western Massachusetts. I found support groups for just about everyone except patients like me with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other … Read more

The Genomics Behind Blood Cancers and Other Blood Disorders

Many of the secrets of why precancerous conditions sometimes become cancerous are hidden in cells’ genes. At Dana-Farber, researchers are collecting tissue samples to see if they can pry open those secrets and unlock new treatment options for certain types of blood cancers and other blood disorders. They’re also exploring whether tumor DNA floating in … Read more

The Latest Research in Multiple Myeloma, Leukemia and Other Blood Cancers

The last two years have been very exciting for blood cancer research; many new targeted therapies and immunotherapies are improving treatment outcomes for patients with lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma. “We’re starting to see a lot of hematologic malignancies benefit from immunotherapy,” says Irene Ghobrial, MD. “The excitement is there for so many trials and … Read more

New, Faster Test Speeds Up Treatment for Blood Cancers

Rapid Heme Panel, a new quick-turnaround genetic diagnostic test, at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC), offers some patients with aggressive blood cancers faster diagnoses, and treatments. Instead of sending blood samples to different laboratories for tests that return results in two weeks or more, Rapid Heme Panel puts the results in doctors’ hands in … Read more

The Latest Research and Treatment for Blood Cancers and Disorders

In the treatment of blood cancers and disorders, doctors and researchers are focusing their sights on the immune system and how to bolster its ability to fight off diseases like leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. “Understanding how you control the immune system is a big theme in treatment for these diseases,” says David A. Williams, … Read more

Dana-Farber Researchers Use Machine Learning to Understand Rare Familial Blood Cancer

Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is a blood cancer that is extremely rare, affecting around 1500 people in the US each year. About 20 percent of those cases are considered familial, meaning that many members of the same family also have some form of blood cancer, such as myeloma or lymphoma.  An even smaller group — five … Read more

Which Cancers Can Be Treated With Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy for cancer is a form of treatment that uses the body’s immune system to combat the disease. Today, immunotherapy is being applied to a wide range of cancers, often in combination with other agents, and clinical trials are exploring ways of improving and expanding its effectiveness. A particularly promising form of immunotherapy, known as … Read more

When Inherited Condition Leads to Two Cancers, Young Survivor Finds Hope at Prevention Center

As one of three family members with the same first and last name, John E. Duggan found individuality through initials while growing up — becoming universally known as “Jed.” Having survived both stage III colon cancer and thyroid cancer before age 30, he is refusing to let another familial tie get him down. Duggan has MUTYH-associated polyposis (or MAP), … Read more

What Are Precursor Blood Conditions and How Are They Treated? [Updated 2019]

Precursor conditions are early phases of blood diseases that may develop into cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, and multiple myeloma. Most people do not experience symptoms, and since doctors rarely screen for precursor conditions, they are often diagnosed after routine blood tests. “Many diagnoses are purely incidental,” says Irene Ghobrial, MD, director of … Read more

What Are the Symptoms of The Rare Blood Cancer BPDCN?

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm, or BPDCN, is a rare, aggressive blood cancer, with features of both lymphoma and leukemia. While it is somewhat similar to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), its unique characteristics include abnormal tumor cells that can be found in the blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, or skin. BPDCN is most frequently diagnosed … Read more