Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm, or BPDCN, is a rare, aggressive blood cancer, with features of both lymphoma and leukemia. While it is somewhat similar to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), its unique characteristics include abnormal tumor cells that can be found in the blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, or skin. BPDCN is most frequently diagnosed … Read more
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that a drug called CTL019 has become the first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved to treat a form of cancer. The decision means the drug can be used as standard therapy for the treatment of pediatric and young adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) … Read more
Vitamin D may prevent or slow some types of cancer, according to some intriguing studies. However, the evidence is not yet definitive, and no recommendations currently exist on taking extra vitamin D to prevent cancer. What is vitamin D? Vitamin D is a nutrient that helps the body use calcium and phosphorus to build bones … Read more
Ever since he drove a Good Humor truck to pay his way through college, ice cream has meant many things to Dan Schorr: hard work, freedom, friendship, fun. Now, after treatment at Dana-Farber for an aggressive form of lymphoma, he has added another – gratitude. Schorr is founder of Vice Cream, which in June served … Read more
Kristen Collins was 40 years old when she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer – the most difficult type of breast cancer to treat. It was a heart-wrenching moment for Collins, who is the mother of three small children. “My heart sank when I heard the news,” said Collins. “I had three babies and … Read more
Chemotherapy and biotherapy are both used to destroy cancer cells. So how are they different, and how are they similar? Traditional chemotherapy uses chemical substances to treat cancer. Biological therapy, by contrast, uses living organisms, substances derived from organisms, or laboratory-made versions of those substances to act against cancer cells. How does chemotherapy work? Most … Read more
Deciding to have a baby can be a happy – and sometimes scary – time for parents. Worries and questions about finances, the future, and the baby’s health are common. But most parents-to-be don’t have a cancer diagnosis looming over their heads like Abby and Tom Morgan did. A 32-year-old teacher, Abby says she always wanted … Read more
Thanks to major advances in treatment in recent years, patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma today have a much greater life expectancy, even though the blood cancer isn’t curable. It’s possible to think of myeloma – a malignancy affecting antibody-producing immune cells – as a chronic disease with which some individuals can live for many years. … Read more
For many cancer patients, treatment comes with its own unique challenges — a common one being the management of pain through medication and other therapies. So when do cancer clinicians treat pain with opioid medication? And more importantly, how do they optimize the drug’s ability to increase a patient’s quality of life while also minimizing … Read more
Upon learning she had brain cancer in early 2016, Connie Etheridge immediately thought, “Thank goodness it’s me, and not my children.” Then, three months later, her son Trevor, 23, found out he too had brain cancer. It was a devastating double diagnosis, but the Etheridges have been by each other’s side through check-ups, radiation, and … Read more
Business consultant and former scientist Jordan Kraft didn’t always have the confident presence she has today. The 29-year-old was once a shy child who hated being in front of people. With encouragement from her parents, young Jordan started performing in plays – first as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz – and slowly … Read more
By Lyndsay McCaffery Two months. That’s how long I knew I had cancer before it was gone. I was a patient, and then a survivor, all before I had time to process what was happening to me. It has been almost five years and I am still trying to wrap my head around it. I’m … Read more
By Lisa J. Frank I am a five-time cancer survivor – four times breast, one time melanoma – and a patient at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers. I am also a full-time practicing attorney who is living life to the fullest with stage IV breast cancer that has spread to my brain. … Read more
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which makes up about 10 to 15 percent of all breast cancers, describes breast cancer cells that do not have estrogen, progesterone, or HER2 receptors. In a recent Facebook Live webchat, Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, Director of the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer in the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s … Read more
Since organizing the first Pan-Mass Challenge bike-a-thon (PMC) for several dozen friends in 1980, Billy Starr has helped the event flourish and grow to the point where it now raises more money than any athletic fundraiser in the country. The PMC generated $47 million for research and care at Dana-Farber in 2016, and more than … Read more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signed off on a new targeted treatment for some patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an often aggressive disease and the most common adult acute leukemia. The FDA approved the drug Idhifa (enasidenib) specifically for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory AML who have … Read more
Treatment for colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States, usually involves surgery to remove tumors, which sometimes leads to complications and long recovery times. One recent innovation in surgical treatment focuses on improving results by enhancing the care patients get before, during, and after their operation. Called “enhanced recovery after … Read more
The first time a Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) cyclist rode in her honor, a weakened Susan Cardinal sent them a good-luck text as she prepared for surgery. Just one year later, this Dana-Farber patient plans to be waiting excitedly at the Provincetown finish when the PMC team riding for her finishes its two-day journey on Aug. … Read more
Although the mortality rate for lung cancer is declining, this disease is still the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. It also remains the leading cause of cancer death in both sexes. This World Lung Cancer Day, learn about the signs, symptoms, and risk factors for lung … Read more
When Linda Solomon, a trained medical technologist, saw the results of her routine complete blood count in 2009, she knew it wasn’t good news. Solomon, then 61, was diagnosed with stage III multiple myeloma – and given three years to survive. Several rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, and eight years later, Solomon is … Read more