The Dana-Farber lab of Kira Bona, MD, MPH, has uncovered an alarming reality: children from low-income households are more likely to experience cancer relapse and face lower survival rates compared to their more privileged peers, despite receiving treatment on highly standardized clinical trials at top academic centers. The number of children for whom these data … Read more
Between 2000 and 2021, breast cancer rates in people under 50 of Asian or Pacific Islander decent rose by nearly 50%, from 36 to 55 cases per 100,000, with sharper increases between 2020 and 2021. Rates of breast cancer in young people are known to be rising in general, but this rate increase, according to … Read more
Dana-Farber’s Centers for Early Detection and Interception, founded in 2023, aim to detect cancer early, when there is a greater chance of treating and curing that cancer. The Centers also serve as a hub for research, with investigators seeking to better understand cancer risk and how it can be reduced. “Dana-Farber has always been the … Read more
As we age, we may turn down the volume on our music and dial down the number of late nights, but deep inside our bodies, expression levels of a gene called midkine are ratcheting upward. This uptick appears to have impact on our health. New work from the Dana-Farber lab of breast cancer researcher Kornelia … Read more
On the surface of every cell are receptors that interact with the cellular world around them. These receptors play a variety of roles. The transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), for instance, pulls iron into the cell for fuel. It does so rapidly and continuously, as if it were a child spinning in a revolving door. Approximately … Read more
When Michael Koran, 83, came to Dana-Farber for a recurrence of sinus cancer, he received unwelcome news — the cancer was no longer treatable. The focus of Koran’s care then shifted to managing his symptoms and finding ways to cope with the emotions he was experiencing. Koran’s care team offered him expressive arts therapy. “They … Read more
In 2016, the key to naturally deconstructing plastic seemed to have been found. News had broken about plastic-eating bacteria discovered in Japan. The bacterium contains a protein that can break down plastic, a pollutant that is linked to health issues including cancer. Since then, protein engineers have been trying to give that protein superpowers not … Read more
Andrew Combes was early for his first appointment at Dana-Farber. He had traveled all the way from Tiny, Ontario, in Canada, and was eager to be seen to get a second opinion on his diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. To pass the time on this beautiful mid-October day, he meandered … Read more
A white patient looking for a stem cell donor has about a 75% chance of finding a fully-matched unrelated donor in the U.S. NMDP Registry. A fully matched donor has the same human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type, a set of eight genetic variables that dictate how the immune system communicates. Finding a fully matched donor … Read more
In the past 25 years, cases of lung cancer have been rising among people without previous tobacco use. These cancer cases are approximately 2.5 times more likely to be found in women than in men. These women tend to be younger, and cases are rising more rapidly in people of Asian or Hispanic/Latina descent. “Asian … Read more
After treatment for early-stage breast cancer, patients are eager to get back to their normal lives. Most, however, are prescribed five or more years of hormone therapy, such as estrogen-blocking medicines, to help keep the cancer from coming back. These medicines can cause menopause-like symptoms even in people who are decades away from menopause. Symptoms … Read more
Small cell lung cancer broadly consists of four molecular subtypes, three of which are driven by expression of proteins called transcription factors. Targeting these transcription factors has been a long-held goal, yet currently there are no medicines that target them directly. Rather, patients today receive standard-of-care treatment consisting of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Within a year, … Read more
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow. It affects plasma cells, which are mature forms of blood cells called B-lymphocytes. In the case of multiple myeloma, abnormal plasma cells build up in the bone marrow, and can cause anemia. In addition, multiple myeloma may cause kidney problems, bone injury and fractures. There have … Read more
Physician-scientist Franziska Wachter, MD, came to Dana-Farber 10 years ago as a postdoctoral fellow with a vision. In the clinic, she cares for children with hard-to-treat cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In the laboratory, her eyes are on the molecular drivers of the disease. “I try to connect the two roles as much as … Read more
Physician-scientist Franziska Wachter, MD, came to Dana-Farber 10 years ago as a postdoctoral fellow with a vision. In the clinic, she cares for children with hard-to-treat cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In the laboratory, her eyes are on the molecular drivers of the disease.
Bladder cancer treatment is advancing, with several approved immunotherapy options, an approved gene therapy, and an approach to cell therapy planned for testing in clinical trials at Dana-Farber. What is bladder cancer? The most common form of bladder cancer is urothelial carcinoma, in which the urothelial cells that line the bladder and urinary tract begin … Read more
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men. When found early, before it has spread, patients can do extremely well. However, prostate cancer risks vary due to genetics, health care access, socioeconomics, and environmental exposures. Some groups have higher risks and worse outcomes. For example: The best way to improve your chances of … Read more
Overall survival of breast cancer has improved for everyone in the U.S. in recent years, but the pace isn’t the same for all groups of people. Some groups still experience dramatic disparities. For example, according to the American Cancer Society: Dana-Farber wants to close these gaps so that everyone benefits equally from high-quality care and … Read more
Clinical trials assess new medicines to ensure they are safe and effective and to find out which patients they are most likely to benefit. However, clinical trials often enroll few people of color for a constellation of reasons related to historical marginalization of certain groups. Systemic marginalization can result in lower levels of income, fewer … Read more
Dana-Farber researcher Charles Stiles, PhD, remembers the call. It was 2008 and a colleague phoned from a conference to deliver the news. Two separate research teams had discovered a genetic driver for the most common of childhood brain tumors called pediatric low-grade glioma. The problem of finding a genetic target to improve treatment for this … Read more