Top 10 Insight Stories from 2013

As 2013 comes to a close, we’re looking back at some of our favorite Insight posts from the last year. From inspiring patient stories to important research, here is our top 10 list:

Exercise physiologist Nancy Campbell holds classes for cancer patients.
Exercise physiologist Nancy Campbell holds classes for cancer patients.

Exercise During Cancer: Getting Started

Nancy Campbell, MS, an exercise physiologist with Dana-Farber’s Adult Survivorship Program, discusses the benefits of physical activity and offers tips on how cancer patients can get started with an exercise routine.

Seven Tips for Life After Stem Cell Transplant

Wife, mother and teacher Maria Pearson shares her experience with multiple myeloma and what she learned after her stem cell transplant.

Five Ways to Support Families Dealing with Childhood Cancer

If someone you know has a child being treated for cancer, there are a lot of ways to help. Jane Roper, whose daughter was diagnosed with leukemia (ALL) in 2012, provides tips and ideas based on her experience and other families she has met.

Meet Boston Marathon Runner and Platelet Donor Wendy Akeson

Four minutes after completing her 10th consecutive Boston Marathon, Akeson heard the explosions at the finish line. A veteran of 28 marathons, Akeson knew two things right away: she would be back to run Boston again in 2014, and she would not miss her next bi-weekly donation of platelets at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Reasons for Optimism in Lung Cancer

New treatment approaches and promising research trends have made the outlook for lung cancer patients a little more optimistic. David Jackman, MD, an oncologist with the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, details some of the latest therapies.

Meg McCormick, far right, with her "rocks:" Her nurse Jennifer McKenna, her sister Maura, and her wife Carla.
Meg McCormick, far right, with her “rocks:” Her nurse Jennifer McKenna, her sister Maura, and her wife Carla.

Breast Cancer, a Convertible, and a Zest for Life

When Meg McCormick was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, she didn’t let it rob her of the opportunities to enjoy life. She still has a physically active and socially engaged lifestyle, and if you have metastatic breast cancer, so can you.

Drinking in Early Adulthood Can Increase Breast Cancer Risk

In a study published in September 2013, Wendy Chen, MD, of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber, found that women who drank in early adulthood had a higher risk of developing cancer than young women who abstained from alcohol.

Thyroid Cancer: Five Things You Need to Know

With September marking Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, Jochen Lorch, MD, provided some key facts about the disease, including different types of thyroid cancer, symptoms, treatment, and risk factors.

Julia Pettingill and her daughter, Sophie
Julia Pettengill and her daughter, Sophie

Questions to Ask When Your Child Finishes Cancer Treatment

Julia Pettengill’s daughter Sophie was diagnosed with leukemia at age 2½, and received two years of care at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Pettengill covers some important questions to ask the oncologist as a child finishes treatment.

New Study: Nuts Linked to Reduced Risk of Pancreatic and Other Cancers

The study revealed that women who ate a one-ounce serving of nuts two or more times a week had a 35 percent lower risk of pancreatic cancer. A second study also found that nuts are linked to longevity.

What was your favorite Insight story from 2013? Share with us in the comments section below.