Medical advances tend to unfold slowly over many years, fueled by successive clinical studies that build upon each other and together provide the evidence needed to change patient care. A key illustration of this point comes from a recent phase 3 clinical trial, published last October in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which … Read more
In March 2016, two months before joining Dana-Farber, Sara Menendez, LAT, ATC, attended LYNKED IN, an annual one-day conference hosted by Dana-Farber’s Lynch Syndrome Center. The event gave her an opportunity to meet colleagues and learn about treatment advances, screening guidelines, and prevention efforts for Lynch syndrome, an inherited and often underdiagnosed condition that increases … Read more
Menin, a protein located in the nucleus of various human cell types, often functions as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting excessive cell growth and division. It facilitates a complex of proteins involved in a cellular process called histone methylation, where chemical units called methyl groups are added to histone proteins that anchor DNA, thereby activating … Read more
Brown fat is a specialized tissue that has developed a host of important functions over the course of evolution. One of the most critical: the ability to produce heat in response to low temperatures by burning energy. Many animals can maintain their body temperature even in cold environments through the unique capabilities of brown fat. … Read more
Clinicians and researchers have recognized a disturbing trend in recent years: colorectal cancer (CRC) in young people is skyrocketing. In individuals under the age of 50, the incidence of CRC has increased about 2% each year since the 1990s, and, according to the American Cancer Society, is now the leading cause of death in males … Read more
Tumors are experts at dodging the immune system. This evasion not only helps to ensure their survival, but also has important implications for treatment. That’s because cancer therapies that harness the immune system, such as CAR T-cells or other engineered immune cells, are often rendered ineffective by the milieu that surrounds a tumor — known … Read more
Elizabeth Johnston, then 37, was healthy and busy with two young children and a blossoming career running a public relations firm in Connecticut. One of her clients is the Hartford Marathon Foundation and in 2015, she decided to start running smaller stretches herself. “I was in the best shape of my life,” Johnston recalls. Little … Read more
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has tremendous potential to advance healthcare and improve the lives of everyone. But successful clinical translation requires evaluating the performance of AI models on large and diverse real-world datasets. MLCommons, an open global engineering consortium dedicated to making machine learning better for everyone, announced on July 17, 2023, a major milestone toward … Read more
Pancreatic cancer often eludes early detection because symptoms typically don’t surface until the disease is well established. This makes it important to respond appropriately to warning signs, even though some may be vague or caused by another health condition. What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer? Most symptoms of pancreatic cancer are caused when tumors … Read more
Although hemorrhoids and colon cancer share certain symptoms, such as rectal bleeding, they are very different conditions. People who experience symptoms of either should get evaluated by a physician: while hemorrhoids are far more common than colon cancer, an exam is necessary to determine which one, if either, a patient has and how it should … Read more
By Valerie Frank Ever since I can remember, I’ve made people laugh. I was always the funny friend, and when I was in my mid-20s I made it official by becoming a Main Stage cast member of ImprovBoston — an improvisational comedy theater in Cambridge, MA. Once I retired from improv to become a suburban … Read more
Set to begin radiation therapy the next day, the patient was anxious. Not just about her thoracic cancer treatment, but also about the oral chemotherapy she took at home. It came with high insurance copays. Then came a phone call that eased her concerns. As they had earlier in her treatment, members of Dana-Farber’s Specialty … Read more
For nearly a century, scientists have appreciated that cancer cells rely on a process called glycolysis to grow and divide at very high rates. In the process, the cells avidly break down glucose to produce lactate, which has been considered a passive by-product — a mechanism known as the Warburg Effect, named after the German … Read more
A novel hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) method utilizing ‘graft sculpting’ is being tested in a phase 1 clinical trial in patients with refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who are at the highest risk of relapse after ‘standard’ transplants. In fact, the patients in the trial don’t qualify for a standard … Read more
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
When Jennifer Fullerton was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 29, her mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario. “I thought I was going to die. That first day all I could think was ‘why me,’” Fullerton says. “My mom very poignantly told me, ‘Today you can say ‘why me,’ but tomorrow, ‘why not me’. And you … Read more
Brian Humberd firmly believes in an attitude of gratitude. The biotech recruiter from Melrose, Massachusetts remains eternally grateful to Dana-Farber medical oncologist David Fisher, MD, who not only recommended a life-saving stem cell transplant to treat his central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, but whose advice enabled Humberd to become a father after his cancer treatments. … Read more
By Howard Brown As the Adult Stem Cell Transplant Program at Dana-Farber celebrates its 50th anniversary, one cancer survivor whose 1990 transplant came when the procedure was far more arduous — and far less successful — reflects on his experience. I have a four-by-three-inch plastic bag that I’ve saved for more than 32 years. It’s … Read more
When Mary Richichi flew from Boston to Utah this summer to attend her grandson’s wedding, she made sure to pack her dancing shoes. The 79-year-old was celebrating not only the happy couple’s big day, but the fact she was there to witness it, thanks to the Dana-Farber specialists who treated her breast cancer and are … Read more
When breast cancer spreads, or metastasizes, it’s more likely to travel to some parts of the body than others. The most common sites of metastasis include the bones, brain, liver, or lungs. It’s rare for patients with early-stage breast cancer, which has not spread beyond the breast or adjacent lymph nodes, to develop a brain metastasis: … Read more