Can Massages Spread Lymphoma?
Are massages harmful for someone undergoing cancer treatment? Is it really possible they could spread lymphoma? The simple answer: No.
Dana-Farber Staff
The Flu: What Cancer Patients Need to Know for 2019
Flu season starts in the fall and ends in the spring – and people with chronic health conditions, such as cancer, are at a higher risk of getting the flu.
Probiotics: Can They Help Cancer Patients?
Probiotics are healthy bacteria that we introduce into our microbiome, or digestive system, to boost the healthy bacteria that already lives there.
What is a Living Drug?
“Living” drugs consist of fully functional cells that have been selected and often modified to treat specific diseases, such as cancer. CAR T-cell therapy and therapeutic vaccines fall into this category.
Is Heartburn/Acid Reflux a Sign of Cancer?
Most of us are familiar with the burning feeling in the chest associated with heartburn, a common ailment caused by acid regurgitation into the esophagus.
Stem Cell Transplant Side Effects: What You Need to Know
A stem cell transplant is an infusion of healthy stem cells. Stem cells are located within the bone marrow and are the cells from which all other blood cells and the immune system are created.
What Are Colon Polyps and Do They Increase Colon Cancer Risk?
Colon polyps form on the lining of the colon or the rectum. A history of polyps is one of the main risk factors for colorectal cancer, a common but preventable disease.
How do Chromosome Abnormalities Result in Cancer?
When chromosomes don’t form correctly during cell division, the result can be a misspelling or glitch in the genetic code, potentially allowing cells to proliferate continuously – a hallmark of cancer.
Cancer Researchers Hit a Bullseye With a New Drug Target for Ewing Sarcoma
The revelation brings a surge of hope to the field of pediatric oncology, which has long been challenged to find new drugs against childhood cancers.
Nurse Practitioners and Doctors: How They Work Together in Cancer Care
A cancer care team is made up of several health professionals, including doctors and nurse practitioners. So how are these two important components of a care team different, and how do they work together? There are many different types of doctors that work on a typical cancer care team. At Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, … Read more
Refractory Cancer: What It Is and It is Treated
What does “refractory” mean medically? The word “refractory” in general use means stubborn or intractable, and in medicine it is specifically applied to disease that does not respond to treatment. Refractory cancer refers to cancer that may be resistant at the beginning of treatment, or becomes resistant during treatment. “We would consider disease refractory if … Read more
Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer: What You Should Know
Many factors contribute to increased breast cancer risk for some women — including certain inherited genes. About 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, meaning that they are the direct result of gene mutations passed on from a parent. Genes are individual units of inheritance made of DNA. There … Read more
What is the Future of Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a kind of treatment that has had stunning results in some patients with cancers like melanoma, lymphoma, and kidney cancer. Immunotherapy drugs empower the body’s immune system by enabling the body to fight cancer — an approach that can slow or halt cancer in certain patients. In our latest podcast series, The Science … Read more
Fighting for My Young Wife With Breast Cancer: A Husband’s Story
By Patrick Martin I’ll never forget our first appointment at Dana-Farber — less than 24 hours after my wife, Meghan, heard the harsh news that she had stage IV breast cancer. I can remember the shoes I wore, because I was staring down at them in the waiting room. I still have not worn those … Read more
Writer Puts Her Cancer Experiences Into Poetry
Carol Snyder Halberstadt has been chronicling her life through poetry since she was 5, a means of self-expression she credits as the springboard to a long writing and editing career. When she was diagnosed in the past decade with lung cancer and then lymphoma, putting this part of her personal odyssey into poetry was a … Read more
Cancer Treatment Scams: How to Spot Them
A friend or loved one’s cancer diagnosis can spark a flurry of web searches for more information about the disease and the latest treatment options. And while the internet can be a useful research tool, the web can also be home to bogus claims about cancer treatments, scams, and unproven products. That’s why it’s vital … Read more
“It Takes a Team to Tackle Cancer” – A Coach’s Perspective
By Tom Coughlin When a parent hears the gut-wrenching words, “Your child has cancer,” their only thoughts are for the child and how they can get well. Financial concerns are usually not on anyone’s radar. But financial toxicity, as it has been termed, is a reality — especially for approximately one quarter of families tackling … Read more
Living with Ovarian Cancer as a Chronic Disease, and Celebrating Milestones
Whenever Joan Janssen meets fellow ovarian cancer patients, she shares words of wisdom that she’s gained from seven years of living with the disease. “This is a recurring disease; don’t be stunned if it comes back,” she tells them. “You fought it the first time. You can do it even better the next time.” Janssen … Read more
How Gene Therapy Works in Treating Cancer and Other Conditions
There are many types of gene therapy, but all of them involve adding to or modifying the genetic program in a person – his or her DNA blueprint that provides instructions for building and operating the body. Gene therapy technology has been developed over several decades and has been successfully used to correct rare blood … Read more
Precision Medicine and Immunotherapy for Cancer: What to Know
Precision medicine and immunotherapy are changing the landscape of cancer treatment. The aim of precision medicine, sometimes called personalized medicine, is to match treatments to individual patients taking into account their genetic makeup, medical history, test results, and other distinctive characteristics. Unlike precision medicine, immunotherapy is a particular form of treatment, aimed at manipulating the patient’s … Read more