More than the Mirror: Body Image and Young Adults with Cancer

Perhaps more than other age group, young adults may feel pressure to look a certain way or conform to a traditional standard of beauty. Add a cancer diagnosis, physical side effects, and damaging treatments, and a young adult’s body image and self-perception can take an even bigger hit. Many young adult patients, whose previous health … Read more

How Do I Know My Risk for Breast Cancer Recurrence?

After completing treatment for breast cancer, many patients may focus on their risk of recurrence. While this risk is individualized, there are certain factors your doctor may consider to determine whether you are at a higher or lower risk for the cancer returning. “Each person’s breast cancer diagnosis is different, and includes unique factors that … Read more

If I’ve Had a Gynecologic Cancer, Can I Have Children?

Fertility is a common concern among newly diagnosed cancer patients. For women with gynecologic cancer, the ability to have children depends on the type of cancer a woman has and the stage at which it is diagnosed, says Colleen Feltmate, MD, director of Minimally Invasive Surgery in Gynecologic Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center. … Read more

What Is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?

Triple-negative breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer where cancer cells do not contain estrogen receptors or progesterone receptors, and HER2 receptors are also absent or present at low levels. Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for roughly 15% of all breast cancer cases and can be somewhat more aggressive than hormone-positive or HER2-positive breast cancer.  Who is most at risk for … Read more

Tips for Exercising During and After Cancer Treatment

During cancer treatment, patients may face side effects like fatigue, insomnia, anxiety and neuropathy. While some patients may seek additional medication to combat these symptoms, exercise is an excellent pill-free alternative. Dana-Farber exercise physiologist Nancy Campbell, MS, recently answered questions during a live chat on exercising during and after cancer treatment. Campbell discussed ways to … Read more

Dana-Farber Staffer Marks Five Years Post-Transplant with Run of a Lifetime

Mary Taber’s marathon training requires a singular focus. It is demanding, solitary, life-affirming – not unlike her treatment five years ago for aplastic anemia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Taber, intranet editor at Dana-Farber, will mark five years from her March 2011 bone marrow transplant by taking to the storied Boston Marathon® route on April … Read more

What Is Hormone Therapy?

Hormone therapy might more accurately be called anti-hormone therapy because it works by blocking hormones that spur certain cancers to grow. Hormones act by attaching to proteins, called receptors, on the outside of cells, resulting in cell or cancer growth. Reducing this type of cancer cell growth by blocking hormones is used most commonly in … Read more

FDA Approval of Defibrotide Brightens Outlook for Stem Cell Transplant Patients

Patients and Dana-Farber researchers alike welcomed this week’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a new drug for a potentially fatal side effect of stem cell transplants. The approval means patients can receive the drug, defibrotide, as standard therapy for hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) of the liver, a dangerous condition that sometimes follows transplantation … Read more

How Precision Cancer Care Saved a Life

Ronaldo de Oliveira was close to death. The 33-year-old father of two young children had been diagnosed with myeloid sarcoma, a rare form of leukemia that worsened despite treatment with six different chemotherapy regimens. His wife pleaded with his oncologist, Richard Stone, MD, director of the Adult Leukemia Program at Dana-Farber, to find something else … Read more

The Latest Research and Treatment for Adult Brain Tumors

Historically, brain tumors have been some of the most challenging types of cancers. A protective barrier around the brain—called the “blood-brain barrier”—can prevent cancer treatments from reaching the tumor. Recently, increased interest in immunotherapy has given new hope to getting through this barrier. “We know the immune system can get into the brain to fight … Read more

What Is HER2-Positive Breast Cancer?

HER2-positive breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer. Approximately 20% of breast cancer cases are HER2-positive.   HER2, which stands for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, is a protein that appears on healthy breast cells in low numbers and is vital for the normal growth of breast cells. HER2-positive cancers have higher than normal levels of … Read more