In the kitchen of Sabor de Minas, Caesar Sodre plates delicious Brazilian fare. For Sodre, 66, food is a love language and a way to care for his customers. For more than two decades, the bright blue Brazilian restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts, has been a cornerstone of his community. That community — including staff and longtime customers — returned the care by … Read more
If you look down at your stomach, glide your eyes diagonally from your belly button to the lower right side of your abdomen: that’s your appendix. It is a finger-shaped organ that stems from your colon. With two primary functions — supporting the immune system and potentially serving as a safe house for good bacteria, as theorized from some– the appendix is a small, but mighty organ that is important to take note of, especially given the recent … Read more
Feeling constipated? You may have not be getting enough fiber in your diet. Fiber-rich diets are a key component to preventing and reducing constipation and can help you maintain a healthy gut. Dietary fiber offers many health benefits from reducing chronic diseases like diabetes to lowering your risk of some types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer. Fiber is an undigested nutrient that passes through the body when you consume fruits, … Read more
On July 20, 2009, Michele Milso was leaving the gym when she received a call from her radiologist. That call changed her life. “He told me I have breast cancer,” says Milso, who lives in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. “It was the last thing I thought I’d hear.” To maintain a healthy lifestyle, Milso ate well, exercised … Read more
Whether it may be genetic or environmental, there are many factors that can lead to cancer. One of these factors could be infections, which can be caused by bacteria, fungi, and/or viruses. Viruses insert themselves inside our bodies and alter our otherwise functioning genes, making us sick. Viruses can only thrive when they infect a … Read more
Mammograms are one of the best tools you can use to stay on top of your breast health. A mammogram is one of the most effective tests for catching breast cancer early. A mammogram is performed with an X-ray machine that compresses the breast to take an image. This machine can be used for two … Read more
Big ideas are all around us. They pop into our heads when we least expect it and consume our minds until we take steps to make them happen. That’s how research begins, continues, and evolves. At Dana-Farber, scientists are attacking cancer at every level. Researchers go through a continuous cycle of experimentation to see the … Read more
What makes us humans lies in our genes. But even with all their power, they are remarkably vulnerable to errors. But these potentially harmful errors are an opportunity for humankind to study and treat, as it has been for Dana-Farber’s physician-scientist Srinivas Viswanathan, MD, PhD. “We have the ability to make an impact,” Viswanathan said. “There are so many unanswered questions in cancer biology still, especially in our understanding of rarer subtypes of kidney cancer.” One of these subtypes — called translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) — occurs when a gene quietly moves, fuses with another gene, and … Read more
Every year, physician researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reveal new treatments, protocols, and outcomes that advance cancer research. At one of this year’s biggest cancer research conferences, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Berlin, Germany, Dana-Farber researchers presented 22 studies in breast, lung, and bladder cancer. Here are three of the most exciting advancements — several nearing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval — shared by our experts nearly 4,000 miles across the world. An oral therapy for advanced breast cancer Erica Mayer, MD, MPH, director … Read more
Cancer can make its way through the body by shapeshifting through even the narrowest places, like a skilled driver navigating traffic. It has a sly way of adapting to its environment by finding detours around every blockade clinicians place in its path. A study from the lab of Nilay Sethi, MD, PhD, in Dana-Farber’s Center … Read more
What is NUT carcinoma? NUT carcinoma, formerly known as NUT-midline carcinoma, is a rare but very aggressive cancer that can develop anywhere in the body but usually starts in the head, neck, and lungs. It’s a squamous cell cancer — meaning it begins in squamous cells, which line hollow organs such as the windpipe and lungs — and is … Read more
Think of your gut as your second brain. When you don’t fuel it properly, it will scream and throw a temper tantrum — and you will feel it in all the wrong ways. That’s why we need to listen to what our gut says because it is a reflection of our overall health. If you have stubborn acne, mood swings, bloating, and recurring … Read more
Head and neck cancers represent a group of cancers that affect the throat, larynx, nose, sinuses, and mouth. While these diseases only represent almost 3 percent of new cancer cases in the U.S., they affect vital functions, including swallowing and speaking. Cancer of the head and neck region is treatable, especially when detected early. Dana-Farber’s Head and Neck Oncology Program is dedicated … Read more